Harry Potter and the Oneshot Factory
by mathiasgranger
Summary: All of my one shots posted into one story. Future one shots will go here also.
1. Sic Semper Tyrannis

**Disclaimer: Meh, its not mine, but at this point, I don't really want anything aside from maybe the money…**

**A/N: AU HBP, in short Harry has done some digging behind the scenes, and he has figured out enough to be angry. This takes place soon after Harry's ignominious arrival to start the year, but before classes start.**

'''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry couldn't believe it; this pathetic creature in front of him, begging for mercy had terrified countless people, and murdered countless others. And for what?

True, Voldemort had gained a form of immortality, but at the cost of any remainder of his humanity that he was born with. How the might had fallen.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

It had all started at Privet Drive following the worst year of Harry's life, a year that had caused him to amend his previous beliefs in the magical world being his respite from the Dursleys. Now instead, it seemed as if the Dursleys were the respite from the insanity and hypocrisy of the wizarding world.

Kreacher, the murderous and insane house elf that was partially responsible for Sirius' death had suddenly popped into his bedroom, the old elf muttered, "Half-Blood master living with filthy muggles."

Harry's first thought was to blast the damned elf into oblivion, but then he remembered Dobby's handling of Lucius Malfoy, and he settled on asking, "What are you doing here?"

Kreacher's wrinkled face scrunched up as if he was struggling against something before he answered, "Kreacher is forced to serve young master, because young master has become the new Lord Black following the blood traitor's death."

Harry blinked as the dull ache of Sirius' death settled into his chest again before he processed the words, "Wait, so you're telling me that Sirius made me your master?"

Kreacher grumbled, "White haired muggle loving fool told Kreacher to wait, but he doesn't order Kreacher around, oh no."

Harry sighed, "Dumbledore didn't want you to come here, but here you are."

Kreacher smirked nastily, "Kreacher only has to follow master's orders."

Harry narrowed his eyes at the elf before he asked, "You said I was Lord Black now, right? So what else does that entitle me to?"

Kreacher replied in a somewhat respectful tone, "Master owns Grimmauld Place, and everything else the blood traitor owned. Master is now head of the Noble Black family, and it is his duty to clean the stain of muggles away."

Harry sighed; his mind dwelled on the prophecy again, as it seemed to be doing a lot of lately….

A brief inspiration struck him, "Kreacher…what if I told you that the dark lord's father was a muggle?"

Kreacher's face contorted again before he grudgingly replied, "Kreacher already knows this, Master Regulus has told Kreacher as much."

Harry turned the name around in his head before he remembered Sirius' story about his younger brother, "So, Regulus served him, knowing this?"

Kreacher looked near tears, "No, Master Regulus tried to escape the dark lord's service, but he was killed for his treachery."

Harry nodded, half formed ideas were filling his head, and he momentarily pictured Kreacher tossing Voldemort through the air like a rag doll. It was preposterous but it still brought a smile to his face, "So, if I asked you if there was anything at Grimmauld that could help me defeat Voldemort, you would tell me then, right?"

Kreacher nodded his head and proudly replied, "The home of the Black family has many books with rituals for dealing with upstart wizards Master."

Harry frowned in thought before he asked, "Could you bring me some of these books?"

Kreacher nodded and Harry added, "Grab me any books you can find that will help me defeat Voldemort, and then go back to wherever you were before and wait for me to call you again. If Dumbledore expects me to continue to be an idiot, then for now that's exactly what I am going to give him. If I find that I need to make a potion, I'll deal with it later this summer."

Kreacher's face wasn't quite as dismissive as he replied, "Kreacher does as master asks."

With a loud pop the little elf disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later with a large stack of books, "Kreacher brings all books to deal with nasty muggle dark lord. The books master requests have no nasty curses, and shall help him beat muggle lord."

Without a reply from Harry the elf popped away again, and Harry didn't know whether to feel relieved about that or not.

In lieu of anything else to do he immediately picked up the first book and read the title on the cover.

_Rituals for the Wronged: Ways to Call Upon Magic to Right Wrongs._

Harry nodded to himself at the promise of the title before he moved on to the next book, any thoughts he had that Kreacher might be turning over a new leaf were dashed as he read the next book.

_How to Torture Muggles and their Spawn: 1001 Creative Ways to Dispatch of Muggle Pests._

As Harry settled down to read the books that weren't too obscene or outrageous he sighed, and he briefly wondered about the new path his life was taking, but shrugged, it was time to fulfill his destiny.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry lounged in the thick grass at The Burrow and he frowned in thought as he watched Hermione and Ron flirt in the distance. He still couldn't figure out how to approach Hermione about his findings regarding the love potions he had found in both of their foods, and accordingly he hadn't stopped her from receiving her daily dose. He didn't want to tell her somewhere it could be overheard, and frankly he didn't fancy having to blast his way out of The Burrow.

On the plus side he supposed he did find it rather enjoyable to alternate between ignoring Ginny, and checking her out unabashedly. While she wasn't as attractive as Fleur, she still had a pretty nice body and his supposed love potion exposure allowed him to take liberties he otherwise wouldn't. He figured he might as well get something out of others trying to dose him with the potion, and he figured he would tell Hermione when he could get a chance away from Weasley's prying gazes.

The advanced magic he had read through earlier in the summer had led to some unexpected bounties; this led to an interest in improving his skills. Skills which had increased tremendously, and while he had never been a top student at Hogwarts, the gap between his skills and Hermione's weren't as large as she might assume.

Occlumency hadn't been difficult to learn with a little more understanding about the nature of magic, and while Snape and Dumbledore had alluded to the fact that it protected against Legilimency, it was actually a skill that greatly organized a witch or wizards mind and magic. It was not a skill for blocking a Legilimens, but rather allowed him to know they were being spied upon much more quickly. After realizing this, it hadn't been more than a week of practice before he could consider himself passable at the skill, even if he was by no means a master. He could show fake memories and thoughts now at will, and for his purposes that would be enough.

As he gazed up into the clouds, Harry smirked lightly, for the first time in awhile he felt fully in control of his life, even if those around him weren't aware of it.

'''''''''''''''''''''

Hermione looked at Harry curiously; he had pulled her aside in the morning right after breakfast, as the two youngest Weasleys were off doing their daily chores, they all still had a week until the return to Hogwarts, and she had designs on getting some sun while she read a book for the day.

It had taken her aback at how serious Harry was as he quietly pulled her aside, he had simply claimed it was something she needed to know. How she found herself in Mr. Weasley's shed of all places with Harry on the other hand, she really didn't know.

Harry turned to her and said, "What I'm about to tell you will seem crazy and impossible. So, before we start let me ask you, do you know any spells to detect the presence of a potion in food?"

Hermione nodded and Harry continued, "Right, well I held on to this muffin, from the plate of those blueberry muffins we had this morning. Why don't you cast the spell on the muffin, and tell me what you find."

Hermione arched her eyebrow and Harry explained, "The trace is rubbish Hermione, and Dumbledore told me as much, so feel free to cast a spell, I've practiced magic all summer at The Burrow without any warnings."

Hermione nodded slowly and murmured the spell as she pointed her wand at the muffin, it glowed an ominous red color and she paled at the implication.

Harry nodded sadly, "I wanted to tell you earlier, but you were always with Ron or Ginny. I've been avoiding the affected food all summer; this is the muffin Mrs. Weasley gave me this morning."

Hermione sighed and lifted her arms to slide the wand back into its holster on her back; she didn't notice Harry's eyes as they gazed at the bit of exposed skin when her shirt lifted a bit.

"I can't believe they could do that to us, like we have no feelings of our own." Hermione spat as she closed her eyes.

Harry nodded, "I know, but think about it this way, nothing major happened, and I have this flushing draught right here, which will rid you of those pesky feelings for Ron."

Hermione smirked as she opened her eyes, "Who said I had feelings for Ron, after all, there is another Weasley who had a love potion keyed to them."

Harry's ears reddened at the thought, and his immediate reaction to it, after all they were two attractive girls…

Hermione giggled but shook her head in fond exasperation, "Honestly, you boys and your strange fantasies."

Harry handed her the flushing draught and she smelled it before nodding in satisfaction, and downing it in one swallow. Her ears vented a suspicious looking pink vapor that dispersed immediately before she quietly said, "Thank you Harry."

Harry walked over to her and wrapped her in a warm hug, "You're my best friend Hermione. If you think all of that is bad, just wait until I tell you about Dumbledore, Snape, and Voldemort."

Hermione nuzzled her face into his neck and then immediately felt Harry's earlier response from her comment about Ginny return, poking into her hip. Hermione smiled into Harry's shoulder as his reaction blossomed; yes maybe this was for the best after all.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''

As he looked down at Voldemort's broken form he smirked, "I wouldn't have thought the ritual would drain you of your magic and destroy your soul pieces, but maybe the magic of the old gods has more of a sense of irony than I had expected."

Voldemort gazed down at his hands, as if expecting them to spark with magic as Harry continued, "Think about it, you the self proclaimed dark lord, now with less magic in your body than a squib. I was pleasantly surprised when the ritual brought you to my very feet, already bound and spilling your deepest and darkest secrets. Learning about your little plan for immortality, and then having my little out of body experience as your leavings were removed from my scar and all of you other containers, all of it was far more than I could have ever hoped to have earned. With what I know now, it won't take much to deal with Dumbledore and Snape before I leave the rest of you twits to wither away for your arrogance. To think, there was a time I would have died for the unwashed masses, but that time has passed now that my eyes are open."

Harry reveled in the changes in his body, with the infusion of Riddle's magic, he felt so much more powerful. His eyes no longer needed glasses, and while he wasn't as tall as Ron, he was still a respectable six feet tall, more muscular than scrawny at this point. To most, he would appear exactly the same, aside from his discarded glasses.

As he prepared to gloat some more, he felt two powerful wizards coming in his direction, Snape and Dumbledore it appeared were coming to make his work that much easier. With a murmured chant of a long dead Celtic dialect, Tom Riddle, formerly the Dark Lord Voldemort, vanished to an unknown place, to fulfill the remainder of the old gods' justice.

The door to the unused classroom slammed open with a thunderous boom, it reminded Harry of how Dumbledore had blasted his way into the fake Moody's office at the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament, merely another debacle of the old wizard's that he would soon pay for.

Dumbledore glanced around; the wards of the castle had reported some very strange magic in this classroom, so he had immediately grabbed Severus to investigate it.

He felt relief as he spotted Harry, it appeared the boy was merely practicing some magic, and while the magic the wards reported had been strange, none of it had been dark.

As he did a surface scan of Harry's thoughts he smiled genially at the boy, thoughts of advanced defensive magic were all he could glean as he pulled out of his mind gently, "Ah Harry, I see you've been practicing."

Harry merely nodded and Dumbledore turned to Snape, "I'm curious however, why have you decided to practice without the use of your glasses?"

Harry innocently replied, "I've been trying to improve my abilities, because if I lose my glasses during a fight I don't want to be helpless."

Dumbledore nodded sagely, "Of course, a most wise precaution. However, practicing powerful magic without supervision is quite dangerous. Perhaps Mr. Weasley could join you next time you practice, in order to provide for your own safety."

Harry merely smiled but replied, "It wasn't anything special Professor, but considering the quality of defense instructors at the school, I could see why you would think so."

Snape sneered, "Your manners Potter leave much to be desired. Perhaps a detention tomorrow night might help you."

Harry smirked unrepentantly, "Would you like to know what I've been practicing Professors?"

Dumbledore was more curious than worried at this point; after all he could always use a memory charm on the lad if he was practicing something that wouldn't fit into his plans. "Of course my boy, I always enjoy watching the students practice magic."

Harry nodded, "I found a book of magic in Welsh so bare with my pronunciation. Holding his wand with a relaxed grip he pointed his wand at the wall, while his left hand was pointing at Dumbledore and Snape, as if using an unorthodox dueling technique; Quietly Harry incanted the spell that initiated the ritual of justice, "_Hen-duw rhoi-i fi cyfiawnder."_

When nothing obvious happened Dumbledore merely smiled and Snape sneered dismissively, "Well, it appears as though you might need to practice that spell for awhile longer Harry."

Instead of looking disappointed however, Harry looked triumphant, "No, I think the spell worked perfectly sir, you just might not feel it yet?"

Dumbledore shared a look with Snape before he queried, "You cast no spell on us Harry, your wand was pointed at the wall."

Harry shook his head and smiled as he watched the two wizards go stiff, as it petrified, "No, you see that spell is an old Celtic spell designed by shamans, to distribute justice when one party had a complaint to be brought against another. However, if the claim was viewed to be false by the spell, well then the other person paid a price. Be it in money, livestock, land, magic, or even their lives. What do you think it says for both you and Snape that the spell is working?"

The two wizards looked frantically about, they were petrified, but based upon the fact that their faces weren't numb it hopefully meant they could speak, Dumbledore croaked out, "Fawkes!"

Harry clucked his tongue, "I really had a lot of time to think this summer Professor, and I came to some interesting conclusions. Sadly, for you none of these conclusions were good for you or the greaseball next to you. I mean good grief man, using a bar of soap or tooth brush wouldn't kill you. "

Sighing he smiled as Dumbledore's face showed serious panic, "That's the same look Tom Riddle had on his face as he faced the justice of his actions. By the end he had told me everything, including his plans for immortality. Of course, finding out that Snape told him the first half of the prophecy on your orders…well that was the final straw for me. I had been undecided before, and then when you showed up so kindly, well it seemed like fate."

Dumbledore groaned as it felt as if his very heart had been plucked from his chest, his link to Fawkes was gone; his magic was trickling out as if it were his very lifeblood. His all powerful wand would not work without the magic to power it.

Harry watched them in silence for a few minutes before he continued, "Well, now that we're all comfortable let's do some question and answer time."

Snape looked even more pale than normal so Harry turned his gaze to the man, "I've always wondered, why is it that you hate me so much Snape? I mean I know you begged Riddle to spare my mother's life, and I know you knew her at Hogwarts, but I don't know anything else."

Snape tried to struggle, tried to prevent his response, but it was ripped from within him, "Your mother, she was my best friend, before I even went to Hogwarts. I grew to love her, and your father stole her from me. I joined the dark lord, and I overheard the prophecy. Dumbledore gave me leave to tell the dark lord the prophecy, but only in return for an unbreakable vow of servitude to him. I attempted to save your mother's life, in exchange for my knowledge of the prophecy, and I hoped the dark lord would kill Dumbledore, thus freeing me from my vow with your mother at my side. As you already know, the entire thing failed completely, and I was forced to acknowledge your father's life debt, by passing it on to you. I despise your face, but your eyes…"

Harry looked at Snape with contempt before he smirked, "Not only are you a nasty grease ball, you were also the equivalent of a magical stalker." Thinking for a moment he continued, "I may not have known my mother, but I think I can safely say, that whatever plans you had, even if they had come to fruition, she would have died before touching you."

Harry felt relief as it seemed the magic from Snape was being drained elsewhere, he could understand the magic of Voldemort going to him, but he wanted no part of the taint that would follow Snape for the rest of his life, however long it might be.

Snape started to say something else, but his face locked up in pain before he disappeared, it seemed the man had some other prices to pay.

Harry merely shrugged, he felt nothing any more about Snape, he had paid his price, and that was how one chapter of his life was going to end.

Turning to Dumbledore he smiled serenely, "I don't even want to know all of the sick plans you had for me old man. But, instead of you telling me anything, I am going to tell you some things."

Dumbledore continued to glance around, searching for some sort of way out of this predicament, even without his magic, there were still ways….

Harry softly spoke, ignoring the old man's panic, "How about we work backwards, starting with the little plot involving the Weasleys this summer. Not for a second do I believe you would have allowed Molly to use love potions, unless you approved of it beforehand.

Dumbledore confirmed this as words were forced from his unwilling mouth, "The purebloods need talent and fresh blood marrying in. You and Ms. Granger are the most powerful and intelligent of your generation, keeping your values aligned with the Weasleys was vital for ensuring my legacy."

Harry smirked as he replied, "Well then old bean, I'm sorry to inform you that Hermione and I will be gone from Hogwarts before tomorrow, and attending another magical school by next week. Amazing what having money, a brilliant girlfriend, and a willing house elf can accomplish, isn't it?'

Dumbledore croaked, "You can't, the prophecy-"

Harry cut him off, "The prophecy was rubbish that you forced into effect with your meddling. Voldemort might have killed my parents and me without knowing the first few lines, but he would have done it for different reasons."

Dumbledore looked pitiful, the magic holding him prisoner had now ceased, and he was sprawled on the ground looking up at Harry with something akin to horror, "This world, everything I've worked to save will be lost without you Harry. Magic will die in Britain and the purebloods will finish off their failed policies right into the ruin of society, thousands will die because of your actions."

Harry shook his head in exasperation, "You fail to understand that it is not my decisions and actions which have forced this to happen. This is the first time in my life I've actually taken control of my own actions. Blame those retarded purebloods; blame your own personal failures that have led to this point. I mean forcing a prophecy into existence simply to pass the responsibility for Voldemort on…it's preposterous. I've taken out an ad in the _Daily Prophet_ explaining the pureblood policy so that the muggleborns will be warned, and I left a note for Remus to find me with. But, don't get me started on your other brilliant moves, it's already getting late and I have a car to catch a mile outside of Hogsmeade with Hermione. It seems her parents were already considering a move outside of the country."

Dumbledore went to plead once more when he vanished with a soft pop, as a wizard he could have expected to live years longer, even with the curse from Gaunt's ring destroying his wand arm. As a muggle he would be fortunate to last another year.

Harry glanced around and nodded to himself, softly he whispered, "Sic simper tyrannis."

**A/N: I don't speak Welsh so I did some guessing about the translation for the spell…roughly "Give to me old gods righteous justice."**

**Harry and Hermione were on their way to Australia with her parents and I believe the rest of you can imagine the trouble they would have gotten into. Take some time to leave a comment on your way out, and thanks for reading.**


	2. The Rage of Harry Potter

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's not mine, and I think you'll soon see why that is the case.**

**A/N: This is going to be a very violent, gore filled one shot, so it will clearly earn the M rating it has. Not a lot of dialog in this one, so if that's something vital for you in a story you might just want to skip along. **

'''''''''''''''''''

"_Crucio_." Harry had uttered the curse that he knew in his heart of hearts would cause Bellatrix LeStrange the pain he now felt coursing through his veins.

None of it mattered any more, Sirius was dead, and his year from hell, a year far worse than any other before in his life had been the final straw.

The curse had ended and LeStrange looked merely winded from the experience as she said, "_Never used an unforgivable curse before, have you, boy?_" She was about to speak again when Harry roared in rage and charged at her, having walked slowly towards the downed witch while he held the curse.

LeStrange on the other hand was startled, true she was a murderous psychopath, but in duels a man had never dared attempt a physical attack, and due to her magical prowess she hadn't been bested yet.

As Harry tackled her back to the ground it became obvious that this wasn't going to end well for either of them when Harry balled a fist and punched Bellatrix right into her temple, dazing the witch and opening her up for the next attack.

Harry took both of his thumbs and gouged out Bellatrix's eyes, ignoring her shrieks of pain and protest before he punched her in the face again, and surprisingly her resistance was stilled again. Harry had never seen much positive come from physical attacks, but he was aware of their effectiveness due to his years with the Dursleys.

As the witch moaned and twitched beneath him, Harry knew he had to end this threat, this monster that had taken his last semblance of family away, and his hands went around her throat squeezing as tightly as he could, LeStrange made some sort of autonomous attempt at fighting back, but it wasn't a coordinated effort, merely her bodies last willful act to ensure survival.

As he squeezed he felt and heard something pop underneath his hands and looked down as he removed his hands, LeStrange's neck was already bruised from his ministrations and based upon the silent rictus her mouth was open in, it seemed he had killed her. Still hyperaware following his vengeance he heard a noise just in time to roll away from a green flash of light, looking up he saw the source of the magic, Lord Voldemort had finally arrived, just in time to see Harry finish off one of his inner circle.

Harry rose to his feet and trembled with excess adrenaline, he wanted to say something to show Voldemort he wasn't afraid but all he could think to say was, "She killed Sirius."

Voldemort was still to startled at the scene to cast another spell, in his moment of hesitation he lost his opportunity as Dumbledore stormed into the atrium, aghast at seeing Bellatrix's dead body, but ultimately he wasn't surprised to see Voldemort and Harry staring each other down.

Calmly he strode into the room pooling his magic in anticipation for the duel to come, he would be surprised again as Voldemort merely disappeared, surprised until he saw Harry fall as if he were a puppet with its strings cut out, and he understood, Tom was making his play at possession of the boy.

Harry's body suddenly began to thrash on the ground and in a voice that held infinite pain Harry ground out, "You think you've had a hard life Voldemort, you think you know anything about pain, well then take my pain and tell me you understand."

As Harry's back arched a scream tore free from Harry's throat, but it was clearly not Harry's voice, "How can you ssstand it?"

With that Harry collapsed and a green mist escaped from Harry's mouth coalescing into Voldemort's body once more before it disappeared. Dumbledore glanced over to see Fudge standing down the hall of the atrium, his mouth agape as he was dressed in his night clothing, as a group of aurors surrounded him in some parody of a bodyguard.

Harry's eyes opened and the boy rose slowly to his feet he glanced around the room, his body ached all over and yet surprisingly he felt no pain in one part of his body, the pain that had always centered on his scar was gone, and while he was sore he felt unexplainably light, light for someone who had just lost their last true family, and suddenly he knew, and he understood so many things.

In Voldemort's haste to escape his body he had left behind a piece of himself again, but this time it was nothing more than mere knowledge, and in exchange he had taken something else with him, a shard of soul that should have never been splintered away in the first place.

Harry expelled a deep breath and turned to Fudge, "As you can clearly see Fudge, Voldemort is indeed back, and as luck would have it I took care of one of your escaped Azkaban prisoners. I believe my bounty should be paid to the Potter family ancestral vault, and if I even sense a cover up, I will bring down the building upon your head."

Dumbledore glanced around and he understood that Harry must be in shock, trying to take control of the situation he soothed, "That won't be necessary Harry. I'm sure Cornelius will gladly announce Tom's return as soon as he can. Let's get you back to Hogwarts where Madam Pomfrey can get a look at you."

As he took a step towards Harry he blinked as the boy merely walked away.

Harry spoke as he walked towards the nearest Floo connection, "That won't be necessary Headmaster; I have some business to attend to at Gringott's. Why don't you conserve your energy for your other students for once?"

As Harry disappeared the Order ran into the room, half of the number was injured in some way and Dumbledore winced as Shacklebolt carried Ms. Granger in his arms like a ragdoll. Turning to Fudge he intoned, "I expect a report to my office later today and my positions returned Cornelius, for now I have other matters I must tend to and I dare say you have issues of your own to deal with."

As he reached the Order he merely began handing out Portkeys to the group and he said, "Let Poppy check you over and get medical attention for Ms. Granger immediately."

As the group disappeared Albus felt for the first time in a long time, that the control he so coveted and possessed for so long had been irrevocably been lost to him.

'''''''''''''''''

Harry looked down at the goblin in front of him and he felt disgust at what he was being told, not so much for the knowledge, but rather his own implicit acceptance of everything in the past. He had been so blindly trusting and naïve, and with his partial knowledge of the prophecy he knew one man had orchestrated much of his life.

Knowing what he did of the rest of the Magical world he did some quick work, both transferring his money out of the country to a neutral bank he would have access to, a bank not run by goblins, but some of their allies and he sold all of his ancestral homes and properties, surprisingly enough the goblins had already transferred the contents of Sirius' will into his possession.

As Harry sat in the meeting room deep in the depth of Gringott's he looked over the magical book of property listings abroad, strictly speaking in the country he would be moving to.

As he tapped his final selection with his wand he glanced over to his account holdings and the balance shifted to match his purchase. The Potter family had been a bedrock of the British Magical World for nearly a millennia, and due to the actions of a corrupt and apathetic populace that would no longer be the case. As he took the international portkey Harry finally relaxed, he was free to live his own life, and not the one everyone else wanted him to.

''''''''''''''''''

Dumbledore sat in his office contemplatively sucking on a lemon drop, the events at the ministry had led to many positive changes, but they had also led to the loss of the one true savior from Voldemort. Contrary to what Voldemort assumed, there was not a wizard alive who better understood the magic of the soul and its implication for immortality.

He knew full well what the green mist escaping from Harry meant, in essence Harry was no longer necessary to victory, and he had been released from that construct of prophecy when he unleashed true suffering upon Voldemort during the possession attempt. In essence 14 years of planning had just been rendered moot, and Dumbledore was still scrambling to understand the implications.

Of course, it didn't end there; the boy's friends save for the Weasleys received letters suggesting they leave magical Britain due to the continuing policies of discrimination against all but those of pureblood ancestry. All of his belongings had also disappeared along with the two strange free elves he had held under employ the last two years, so many little strands unraveling and he knew it wasn't over yet.

As his wards alerted him of Minerva's presence outside of the gargoyle he sighed and summoned her, "Come in Minerva." There were still fires to be put out, and while Harry's story was regrettable it wasn't one of the more pressing issues he had to deal with, which was in many ways a refreshing change all things considered.

''''''''''''''''''

Harry looked out into the Pacific Ocean from his home on the beach; he was currently a commuter student to a magical school in Southern Oregon. It had taken months of therapy but he had finally managed to get beyond Sirius' death, the Dursleys, and even the moment when the old Harry Potter had reached his breaking point when he killed Bellatrix LeStrange.

All of his feelings of inadequacy, rage, and helplessness had been dealt with, and instead of being repressed he now understood them and had made strides in moving beyond them. While he never intended on returning to Britain the letter he had just gotten magically notarized would make an impact all of its own.

He checked his watch again and noted he still had ten minutes before he had to activate his portkey to the school. He smiled in remembrance from the letter he had received from Hermione informing him that she and her parents had moved to Australia with his brainy friend enrolling in the magical school in Sydney. It seemed she had only remained at Hogwarts for as long as she had because she knew Harry needed her help.

He had already planned a trip to Australia around Christmas, and as he glanced down at his watch again he smiled as he activated the portkey.

''''''''''''''''''''

**Potter Tells All: Corrupt Ministry, Pureblood Supremacy, and Half Blood Dark Lord all to blame for Boy-Who-Lived's Disappearance from Britain.**

Albus Dumbledore sighed again, he had read the article once already, and while it only spoke the truth it still had managed to upset more of his formed plans. The muggleborns of Britain were leaving to other countries more welcoming to their talents, and while many purebloods viewed this as a good thing, Albus understood that the destruction for Magical Britain in its current incarnation was inevitable now.

Over the past several months he had managed to destroy the remainder of Voldemort's Horcruxes using a variety of methods. Dumbledore figured he had paid off the karmic debt he owed for ignoring Riddle's ascent into darkness all of those years before, after all the dark lord was now completely mortal and his magical construct of a body would collapse eventually without a mostly complete soul to sustain it.

He looked over to Fawkes who trilled at him sadly, he reached over and rubbed his friend's head, "You know what you must do now old friend. I shall warn the International confederation of Britain's current ascent into anarchy, and you must go to Harry now, he has more use of you now that I shall for my remaining years."

Fawkes trilled a few notes and Albus felt his spirits lift slightly, "I believe Aberforth and I shall finally make that tour of the world we had planned upon as youth. Maybe, we can even move past Arianna's death after all of these years."

Fawkes trilled once more before he vanished in a flash of fire, with a flick of his wand, several missives were sent to the owlery and with another flick of his wand all of his belongings began to pack themselves.

First, a trip to Nurmengard and then the main seat of the ICW, and then he would come back to retrieve Aberforth. The prophecy's fulfillment had lightened many things in Albus' eyes, and sending Fawkes to Harry was the only appropriate way to repay the young man, by providing whatever comfort his old friend could for the coming years.

'''''''''''''''''''''

Lord Voldemort, self proclaimed dark lord of Britain was worried, ever since he had attempted to possess the Potter brat he had felt it, he felt his power beginning to wane. It was terrifying because it could only mean one thing, his Horcruxes; his means of immortality were being destroyed.

For two main reasons he was helpless to do anything about it. First, so paranoid he was at the height of his own power he had obliviated the location of the soul containers from even his own memory. Second, part of his feared reputation was based upon his rise, when he had been hit by many curses that would have seemingly destroyed any other wizard. His followers, his deatheaters had flocked to his banner in awe of his great power, but even the greatest power need be tested once in awhile to remind those followers of why the couldn't try the crown on for themselves.

His most loyal follower Bellatrix was dead, strangled to death by Potter, before the half blood mongrel had disappeared beyond Britain's borders. With his only truly loyal follower and potential enforcer gone, it was only a matter of time before his power was challenged, and it would be found that he was now wanting of power. He seethed to himself at his own foolishness, he had immortality arranged and then that blasted prophecy had derailed his quest for the ultimate power.

With a malicious grin he reached out to the mark of Severus Snape and summoned the dour man, if he could not get to Potter, he would at least kill the man responsible for the beginning of the end.

''''''''''''''''

Harry's portkey returned him back to his front yard; it had been a long day of classes but with only a few weeks until his NEWT examinations he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. After exams he had a summer planned of hitting the beach and trolling amongst the local beach bunnies for some fun. His accent seemed to drive most of the girls in his classes at PMU up the wall in a good way, so it would be fun to see how far that would go.

He smirked to himself as he had also a half formed idea of surprising Hermione in Australia also, he had plenty of money now where he could put off his eventual plans of becoming a magical focus designer as an eventual career.

As he walked around his house out to the beach he stopped when he glanced out into the waves and sun, he never would have guessed that killing Bellatrix LeStrange could have led him to such a beautiful place. It made him sad in many ways, that the only way to free himself of the burdens placed upon him was another's death, but now he was free from his rage, and instead of worrying about his place in the world, now he could simply find his own way, damned the consequences.

**A/N: Just another inadequate one shot that bubbled into my brain on a slow day at work. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of it, and thanks for reading. **


	3. A Bitter Disappointment

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's not mine, because if it was mine some things would have been considerably different in OOTP and beyond. **

A persistent tickle was just on the edge of his newborn consciousness. He remembered the flash of green, not powerful enough to cleanly strip him of his soul, but enough to blast him out of the window.

There had been profound disappointment in Severus for that fleeting moment before he hit the ground and truly did die. There had been some frustration and anger at himself for allowing things to progress as they had in regards to Harry. But, mostly there was peace and anticipation for the beginning of his next great adventure.

As he opened his eyes all he could see was a great and vast room of white, the very vision of sterility not the vision of warmth and happiness he had always pictured. But, before he could ponder this any further a pressure or perhaps it was a compulsion to review his successes and failure in life overtook him and he started in his childhood on the Dumbledore family farm in the Scottish Highlands.

Magic had seemed like such a vast and wonderful thing back then, with hours of play out in the farm with Aberforth and his mother ringing the dinner bell to bring them in. The excitement of receiving the owl carrying his acceptance in Hogwarts and the adventures he had shared with his long dead friends within the confines of the castle.

The years after leaving Hogwarts where he traveled the world and heard the prophecy marking him as the man that would vanquish an evil in the future, during a time of genocide. If he had known then the sacrifices he would have to make to kill Grindewald he might have just ran for the hills then and there.

The gray years of his life working as an unspeakable for the ministry of magic where he became a great wizard and experimented with kinds of magic more wondrous and dangerous than the last. Finally, when he met Libby and he knew then and there that she was the only woman he would ever marry, and ever love with his entire being. The grave disappointment and sadness they had both felt when their one pregnancy was stillborn and the healer telling them that they would be unable to have children due to a defect in Libby's fallopian tubes or some such nonsense.

The years around the turn of the century where despite a lack of children he was happy with Libby as their careers blossomed much like their love. Taking the position of transfiguration professor at Hogwarts and settling into his life as husband and teacher.

Then the times became dark as the prophecy he had heard all of those years prior simply jumped into his existence as Grindewald and a muggle named Hitler terrorized all of Europe and parts of the rest of the world. Then the fateful attack on Hogsmeade in Christmas Eve in1943 happened, where Libby had been brutally murdered by Grindewald himself. He had finally been spurred to fulfill the prophecy and kill the monster nearly two years later in a castle in Bavaria, losing much of his humanity and sanity in the process.

Fawkes had come soon after and healed his psyche and soul to the point that he was able to take on the role of headmaster of Hogwarts, his dealings with young Tom Riddle as a troubled but talented youth that would surely grow out of it. It had simply been a nagging concern, and it wasn't like another dark lord could be in the making in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts.

The years passed and he remembered being held nearly in reverence by the majority of the wizarding world as being both a savior and leader to the future of the world. The years of the Marauders and the sympathies he felt for a young Severus Snape, whom was always the source of so much contention. Of course, he knew Snape wasn't innocent, but unlike the marauders he was alone, something Dumbledore could sympathize with after the loss of his wife.

As he approached his most recent memories of hearing the prophecy and the line of events set into motion by that one event had led him to where he was now. Once again that feeling of self-recrimination that he had failed Harry in his time of need struck him when his thoughts were interrupted by a smug voice that said, "So now you see what your meddling tendencies have done to that poor child."

Dumbledore looked around anxiously and asked, "Who's there?"

The smug voice laughed as another voice chimed in, "Pay no mind to him, he always see things as much worse than they truly are."

A third voice intoned, "Mind is what we shall pay to your actions Albus Dumbledore, for you have been given two great tasks in your lifetime that would have made you the equal to Merlin in all of his greatness. We shall measure your actions and find them lacking or find them to be equal to Merlin's in their own right."

Dumbledore suddenly had a hollow feeling strike where he assumed his stomach to still reside in; this wasn't to be what he had assumed it to be after all. In fact, if the third voice was to be trusted he was being judged for his actions and not rewarded for a life he knew in his heart to be lived with the best of intentions.

As if reading his voice the smug voice asked, "Haven't you ever heard that the road to hell was paved with good intentions?"

The soothing voice quickly replied, "It is not to you to judge Albus Dumbledore, we shall let him do that for us."

Dumbledore blinked as he suddenly was placed in a comfortable plush chair; similar to the ones he was so fond of himself. The third voice intoned, "We have watched as you've relived your life through your memories and we agree that you completed one of the tasks we gave you."

After a moment he hoarsely asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

The third voice sounded amused, "We are the fates Mr. Dumbledore, and we are here to judge if you may move on the next great adventure or if you must make a side trip in penance for your failure."

The smug voice spoke, "The problem comes when you heard a specific prophecy, but which one you ask."

Dumbledore merely waited until the soothing voice spoke, "Libby doesn't blame you Albus. But the question is who does have just cause to blame you if anyone?"

The third voice said, "Tell us of your thoughts on the newer prophecy and its implications and then we will deal with the older prophecy."

Dumbledore shrugged, "Harry Potter is the boy the prophecy identifies and his power to defeat Voldemort is tied into the love he can feel; A love which Tom denied himself long ago, as a young child in that orphanage."

The smug voice returned, "So you thought having this Potter boy raised in a home where he would be vilified and emotionally abused conducive to behavior more similar to Riddle's would fulfill this aspect of the prophecy?"

Dumbledore blinked, "The protections his mother placed ensured that the Dursleys were the only place he could be raised safely."

The second voice asked, "Isn't Hogwarts the safest place in the wizarding world?"

Dumbledore confidently replied, "Yes it is."

The third voice pondered, "So then why not raise young Potter at the castle and aid him in fulfilling the prophecy."

Dumbledore blinked, "Well I suppose it was possible, but what claim did I have on the child? Additionally, there were concerns about Severus' feelings on the matter, and I would have avoided conflict on such a matter if possible. There were also all of those people that wished to take the boy in and raise him as a prince, something which I wanted to avoid at all costs."

The smug voice had a trace of venom in it as it asked, "So to spare a traitor's feelings you had the boy brought up by people that one of your dearest friends told you were the worst kind of people imaginable?"

Dumbledore's stomach sank, had it been as simple as that? Had he condemned Harry for his and Severus' own selfish wants and needs? He had always thought placing Harry in safety was the most important, but could there have been something else also pushing the helpless child into the Dursleys home?"

The second voice spoke softly, "Lily tells us that you perverted her sacrifice by placing Harry with those despicable people. Of course, the Dursleys' actions are not those up for trial today Albus Dumbledore."

Dumbledore's hands began to tremble as implications he had long buried began to float to the surface. The third voice simply said, "Harry Potter was a reminder to you of your own failings in protecting a child, even if the first child was never meant to be. By creating a distance between the boy and yourself you protected yourself at the cost of the boy, who needed love to succeed. Do you deny this?"

Tears began to stream down Dumbledore's face as he quietly replied, "No I don't. But, I must say that I do care for Harry a great deal even if my actions indicate otherwise."

The second voice soothed, "We do not question your feelings Albus, but we do question your actions. In the end actions are the only true thing a person can be judged upon."

Dumbledore collected himself, bolstered somewhat by the voice's comments as he asked, "Can Harry still succeed despite my blunderings? Can he still find love?"

The third voice intoned, "Harry will succeed and he has already found love. But that love will not be apparent until he needs it the most. He has spent the last year seeking love, but due to his difficulties in identifying love he instead has sought what others expect him to love. Mr. Potter will see Ms. Granger for what she is when the time comes."

Dumbledore blinked, "Ms. Granger?"

The smug voice sighed, "Come on old man, surely you could see the love that exists there, bubbling beneath the surface waiting to be unleashed. Do you think it mere friendship that compelled Mr. Potter or Ms. Granger to act as they have over the past six years?"

Dumbledore blinked again, a state he found himself in frequently the past few minutes, "But I had thought that Ronald Weasley and Ms. Granger were a couple."

The second voice chuckled, "No Albus, but it is true that Ms. Granger was a very confused girl for most of the past year. She heard Mr. Potter's cries at the Department of Mysteries when she appeared near death, and it opened her eyes to her own true feelings. Unfortunately, you humans are so volatile that it scared her so much that she sought the attentions of another that she truly didn't love. You did this with Minerva McGonagall for a time, correct?"

Dumbledore's silence was all that answered them until the third voice spoke, "Do you accept that you failed in preparing Mr. Potter for his destiny as you should have?"

Dumbledore nodded forlornly as the third voice chuckled, "There now, no reason to be glum about it. Your admission has saved you much in our eyes. However, a penance must be paid for your transgressions before you may be reunited with Libby and your other loved ones. You shall exist as a painting to aid Mr. Potter in his quest, and if you succeed in this you shall be granted a reprieve. However, if you fail you must serve your penance of a hundred years in purgatory and I assure you while it is not hell, purgatory is not a pleasant place."

Dumbledore's relief shone clearly in his vibrant blue eyes, "I shall do my best."

The third voice instructed once more, "You must only offer advice about destroying Riddle's soul. Advice about love or how to go about dealing with Severus Snape must come on Mr. Potter's own terms. You will do well to remember this, because as you told Tom Riddle, there are things much worse than death."

Dumbledore nodded and with a flash his soul was returned to earth to inhabit a portrait. With a mostly wry grin he mumbled from within the confined of the painting, "Next great adventure my foot."

**A/N: Eh, I'm not sure how much I liked this one, but I felt like doing something different for a change. I just have always had these questions about Dumbledore and I hope I painted him as a flawed man, who did follow his good intentions to a bad place when he died at the end of HBP. Snape's fate is still up in the air, and you'll see that while his curse didn't kill Dumbledore per se, the end result of it did just the same in my story. But, in my defense this is one of those one hour one shots that begged to be written before I could move on to other projects.**

**Thanks for reading and thanks to any of you that take the time to review.**


	4. Crookshanks Challenge Fic

**Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's masterpiece not mine, I merely am a puppet master that takes out her creations to play from time to time.**

This is my attempt at Jayu's, "has somebody seen an orange fur ball?" challenge. Read and enjoy.

**A/N:** This is Post HBP…so assume Voldemort, the Horcruxes, and all of the deatheaters were destroyed when a house fell down on them from the sky…and the house was sent by Harry.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

I'm a no frills kind of guy, I mean give me a warm lap, a rub down, and your complete undivided attention and I am low maintenance individual. Fortunately, my witch is quite content to dole out the comfort and I try to repay her kindness when I can.

The problem is that right now my witch is wistfully looking at the messy haired ponce again, and I can tell her heart breaks a little bit more each time her look goes unreturned. What few people know about me is that I was near the end of my line in the pet shop at Diagon Alley; in a way my witch is also my guardian angel. My attempts to return her gift have been spotty at best, my first year with her I had tried to catch the rotten little rat of the loud boy, and in the end my efforts had led to success of a sort. However, as my witch's adventures have grown more exotic and dangerous I have found my role being limited to that of a glorified bed warmer.

The messy haired one has had a difficult life, I can tell just based upon his appearance that his minders never really fed him, and that his scrawny appearance is less of choice and more of hardship. I also know that the evil one had become fixated on messy hair, and only with some divine providence had the evil one been dispatched a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, the end of the evil one had lifted a veil from my witch's eyes, I think she had expected messy hair to die, and didn't get as close as I could smell that she wanted to.

One lovely perk of being a feline is that you can smell when the humans are excited or aroused at the appearance of another of their kind. My little witch has had this smell about her since I first encountered messy hair, and I imagine if messy hair was a part kneazle like me he'd just sniff her back side and figure it out like anyone with half a brain would have.

But no, humans have some convoluted mating dance where they dress up and touch the object of their desires in more intimate ways. My witch has only really had eyes for messy hair, but her roommates seem to be in heat year round and it's usually some new wizard each time that they go to bed smelling of. Last year one of them even mated with the loud one, if that wasn't a direct affront to Darwin I don't know what would be.

That year had been particularly hard on my witch, and I think that she became more brittle or fragile as a result. However, since the evil one died she has been crying a lot more lately, and as much as I'd love to help the little witch out, my fur can only soak so many tears up. No, it was definitely time to get my witch and messy hair to fess up and do some of their silly human mating dance.

Now, don't get me wrong my witch makes up a big part of my existence, but I don't want any of you to get the wrong impression and think that entertaining her is all I do with my time. I have goals and aspirations a lot like my witch; I've even organized a group of my own, although membership has been spotty at best.

It might surprise you to know that my witch stole the name S.P.E.W. from me, because I organized my group, The Society of Pets to Extraordinary Witches, before the end of my first year with her. That year had been a boon, and even though we accepted Hedwig into the group in spite of the name, she couldn't really compare to the rest of us that had masters with an actual brain. Messy hair is alright, but I don't think he has ever been particularly bright. I mean if he was I wouldn't have the mess I have now, would I?

Anyways, S.P.E.W had a variety of members, most were owls and pigmy puffs, but there were a few other kneazles like me. I think the best thing we ever did was planting that cat nip is Ms. Norris' bed; her master wasn't too pleased to see her into his candy stash stoned out of her gourd. Ah that was a good night; of course it was also the night I met that good chap Snuffles. Remarkable fellow he was, he was a human and an animal if you could believe it. Too bad he died, my witch wailed about that for a long time. I can only imagine how bad messy hair was, but that's a story for another time.

As the years passed the witches and my friends all graduated from Hogwarts replacing new members became difficult, most of them were ridiculous enough to think that their witch had claimed messy hair, and being the territorial bloke I am I had to dispel those notions as much as I could. After all, my witch staked her claim from the beginning, it wouldn't do for someone to poach on her territory.

So now the once mighty organization of S.P.E.W. has been pared down to three scant members, Hedwig has hung tough with me from the beginning, myself, and Arnold the Pigmy puff, loud boy's sisters pet…he is a rather dim bloke. I believe the most interesting thing he has offered at a meeting was a squeak followed by a fart….Hedwig was amused, but a quarter kneazle will not laugh at flatulence…well ok I laughed a bit but I did not snort like old Hedwig did.

About the one thing useful about Arnold is that he is our in to see how his witch is trying to make her move on messy hair. Truthfully, messy hair did succumb to some rubbing with loud boy's sister the past year, and at the time even I had been fooled by my witch's reaction. After years of being in heat for messy hair, she was happy that he was with this other witch? I should have known then, my witch has always been good at hiding her feelings, why would then have been any different.

But now, messy hair seems to have moved on and is back to a similar form of my witch's condition and this is where my scheme actually comes together. Messy hair appears to have finally figured it out; he seems to finally return my witch's feelings. Now this was no simple fortuitous discovery on my part, I caught messy hair talking to the loud boy and he said he liked my witch as a potential mate. Now, the beauty of being part kneazle like I am is that I could tell messy hair was completely serious, and as time goes on I am beginning to notice other little things that are going to make my crowning achievement a shoo in when I set them into motion.

Oh my witch seems to have found a bit of cat nip, well the plans can keep another day. But, I promise that Crookshanks Matchmaker Extraordinaire will make an appearance soon, and messy hair and my witch won't know what hit them.

**A/N: **Part two of my little story will actually have something beyond a feline's perspective as we figure out why Harry and Hermione remain oblivious to the other's feelings.

**Disclaimer: **It is JK Rowling's stable of characters and everything so, yes its not mine nor do I make any money off of my use of them.

Adrenaline is in the air, messy hair is having another nightmare, and of course I have to make sure my mistress helps. After all she seems to take each nightmare as a direct affront as to her role of the protector of the great protector. Opening my eyes I see she is already awake and slipping on her robe, I better make sure this goes off without a hitch, because I can finally set my plan into motion if I do.

Up to my feet and through the open door, my witch is moving far too fast for just having awoken, but then she has always been like that for messy hair.

"Oh Harry, I'll never leave you I promise."

"It seemed so real this time, Voldemort had come back again and he said he'd take you from me, and I couldn't stand that."

Oh there is it again, the pheromones in here are so thick and I can't believe they haven't realized it yet. Just looking back into the other's eyes, both too scared to actually make the first move, ah I swear if I didn't love my witch and understand how much messy hair means to her I'd swat them both upside the head.

Ah well, time to set my grand plan into motion. Messy hair's glasses completely unguarded, what is a kneazle on a mission to do? Ah that's right, swipe them and drive my witch crazy as she chases me about the castle.

"Crookshanks! What are you doing?"

Sorry little witch but if you won't make the first move then I guess I'll have to make it for you.

"Hermione, what did Crookshanks do?"

"Oh Harry, he um he took your glasses. But, I swear I'll get them back."

"Hermione, we have that big potions exam today. Even Slughorn wouldn't be insane enough to let me in when I can't even see."

"I'll get him I promise, just give me a few minutes. I'll get dressed and find him, and if he stays away too long I'll cut his food supply off."

"O-ok."

"Why don't you get some more sleep, I'll have your glasses by the time you wake up."

Ah my witch, she hasn't even noticed I'm still in the room. Well, I'll make sure she has a bit of a chase on her hands. Thank heavens Hedwig showed me how to put messy hair's glasses on my back. For an owl she is rather quick on the uptake, not like loud boy's stupid owl. That is one pet that would never get an invitation to join S.P.E.W. I mean what kind of name is pigwidgeon? Ah well, that's a thought for some other time.

Time to make my move I suppose.

"Crookshanks, come back here Harry needs his glasses."

I'm sorry little witch but you'll have to catch me, and I need you good and frustrated for this to work.

"Crookshanks, I don't know how you got out of the tower but please I'm begging you Harry needs his glasses for this exam."

Oh no my witch is getting teary eyed, oh I hate when she gets like this. But, I need to stay strong; a few tears now will be well worth all of her smiles later. I'd better hurry back and I can catch messy hair just as he is waking up, the sun is rising.

"Crookshanks please stop I need..."

Oh dear she's sniffling now, stay strong old chap, just a bit further and it will all come together. But, I need to keep her mind off of where we're going for it to work. Now where is that hidden passageway I see messy hair takes up to his room? Ah, there it is, keep coming little witch.

"Hey Crookshanks, are those Harry's glasses?"

Oh no, it's loud boy's sister and by the look on her face she is up to no good.

"Come here Crookshanks, give me the glasses. I'll rub you behind the ears just like you always love."

It was then that I realized I had succumbed to the same deviousness that had worked on messy hair in the past. It was liberating in a way to feel such a kinship to messy hair, and it only served to increase my resolve as I shot by her in a blur, taking care not to get too far out of sight of my witch. That was the thing about the red haired witch, she never did know when to stay and when to follow, and I smirked slightly as my witch ran right by her, not even noticing the glare the other witch sent in her direction.

"Crookshanks, where on earth did you find out about a hidden passageway? Oh, Harry I do hope you aren't too angry with me. I hate when Harry is angry at me…."

Keep coming little witch, I need you nice and upset for messy hair to figure it out.

"Hey Crookshanks is that you buddy? Bringing back my glasses I imagine."

Oh this might even be better, messy hair isn't wearing a shirt and my witch is still teary eyed.

"Crookshanks, please stop run-Harry!" Ah little witch I've never seen your face so red before, I like it, note to self make my little witch blush like that as much as possible.

"Hey Hermione, what why are you crying? Did Malfoy say something to you? I swear I am going to kill that ferret, redeemed or not."

Ah this has taken an interesting turn; messy hair is hugging my witch without his shirt on and she definitely appears to be enjoying it.

"Honestly Harry, I was just upset at Crookshanks."

But my witch's voice is surprisingly husky, and now messy hair is turning a delightful shade of red. I wonder if I turn red when I am embarrassed. I think maybe I'll have to ask that pretty calico that lives next door to my witch's summer house, she seems to know more about that sort of thing than me.

"Harry…" But yes she was cut off by the lips of messy hair, and I let out a little breath of relief before it hits me.

Finally!!!! Messy hair is kissing my witch, and she is kissing him back.

"Mmm Hermione, you taste good."

"Less talking more snogging Harry, and you had better do good on the potions exam or I mmpph…"

Oh…oh I think I should probably give them some privacy now before I am scarred for life, I just hope they realize who is to thank for all of this. Chalk one up for Crookshanks matchmaker extraordinaire.

**A/N: There is part two of the little three part series; next chapter will be an epilogue from Crookshanks perspective three years into the future. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed thus far and thanks to everyone that has read.**

**Disclaimer: **It's JK Rowling's masterpiece not mine, I merely am a puppet master that takes out her creations to play from time to time.

Three years later and life has changed a lot for me and my witch. I had always dreamed my little witch would be the Minister of Magic and I would be her first advisor. The Messy Haired one finally got his act together and I guess somewhere along the line he became my wizard. I know Hedwig has always claimed my witch as her mistress, so I guess turn about was fair play.

So my witch now runs a magical school for children younger than the age of attendance at Hogwarts. Thankfully the school is only open during the day so she can come home at night and give me the proper attention. My wizard, well he is apprenticing with the wizard with hairy ears. I think my wizard called him Ollivander once, but hairy ears seems to be a more accurate description.

Of course while my witch and wizard have stayed busy they seem to be even more focused on each other, I mean I even had to carry a couple of rings on a pillow for them once just so they could kiss. Let me tell you, a lesser kneazle would have refused, but as much work as I've put into those two I figured I might as well finish the job properly.

I like our house now, my witch and wizard decided to tear down some wrecked out house and build something new over the top. My wizard was rather weepy during that, I can't say I like when he or my witch cries but he seemed to get better as time went on. Anyways, the house is rather nice for only the three of us, but I have a feeling that's about to change if all of the smiles and belly rubs between my wizard and witch means anything.

I can tell when I'm bored, that's the only time I keep wandering from my tangent of thought like this. My wizard put in a nice garden during his spare time which means plenty of mice and other things to hunt for me. Professor Minnie, a rather fetching feline in her own right used some of her magic to put an enchanted meadow of lilies out near the back of the property, once again my witch and wizard cried happily about that. Who cries when they are happy, I swear I'll never understand humans.

In fact crazy humans notwithstanding, life has been pretty much perfect for me, aside from seeing loud boy and dreamy eyes I've nothing to complain about. Although based upon all of the hustle and bustle today, I have a feeling I might be making some changes to that list.

Not only is dreamy eyes prancing around in my house, but she is hanging banners and decorations all over the place. My witch has been laughing a lot, which is always a good thing, and my wizard but the bullet and left with loud boy to save the rest of us from the moron. Well, for a wizard I'd say messy hair was about the best me and my witch could have hoped for.

Uh oh…the green flames in the fireplace usually mean that the rest of the redheads from loud boy's family are coming over.

"Hermione, Luna where are you two?" Loud boy's mother, whom I can clearly see gave loud boy his manners bustled past me and into the other room. A moment later loud boy's sister, looking rather disgruntled, as she has been since my witch and wizard traded rings.

As she passes I hear her mumble bitterly, "It should be me that's having the baby shower."

Deciding that it would be best to keep an eye out for my witch I follow the redheaded women into the next room.

My witch seems to be grinning so widely it's amazing her face hasn't cracked under the strain. Loud boy's mother is speaking, "…pick up your parents…side along…be here soon."

My witch spots me in the corner of the room and gives me the universal sign to call me forward, open arms and a smile.

I jump into her lap and we both watch as the party slowly comes together, as various girls she went to Hogwarts with piled into the house. Messy hair has arranged for some aurors to act as security, because as much as they both would like to deny it, we have had some crazy people trying to get into our house.

My witch decides to talk to me like she used to, when we were both a lot younger and less wise about the world, "So Crookshanks, I never asked you what you thought of having babies in the house. Are you ready to share Harry and me with little ones?"

That gives me reason to pause, I mean I expected one baby but from the sounds of things I might have been mistaken. Fortunately, my witch continues her talk.

"I haven't even told Harry yet, but I know what sex the twins are going to be. But, since you are going to be neglected for a little while I figured it was only fair."

Suddenly I begin to envision fewer and fewer talks like this with my witch in the future. Where exactly will I be in the grand scheme of things? But, as always my witch has the answers I need.

"I've already thought of names for both of them. I think Harry will like both of them. I was thinking Lily Jane for my little girl, and Charlus James for my little boy. What do you think?"

I have to admit both names are fitting, Lily for messy hair's mother. Jane because that was my witch's grandmother, and I know my witch misses her terribly. For the boy, Charlus was my wizard's grandfather and James for my wizard's father. Once again my witch seems to have all of the right answers, so I purr to show my approval.

"I thought you'd like them. Just wait because before you'll know it you can go back to Hogwarts with Lily and start a whole new round of adventures. After all, you are a young and vivacious feline, aren't you?"

Ah she is stroking my ego, my witch always knew the best way to get my complete agreement, usually it was food but words seem to be appropriate today.

The rest of the day seemed to go by in a blur, I was happy to watch my witch smile at the various tiny clothes.

Nearing the end of the party Hedwig finally joined me, the coward bird had escaped earlier in the day. I always thought Owls were nocturnal, but apparently they only are when it suits their purposes.

Hedwig trilled mirthfully, "You do realize your stubby little tail is going to be a chew toy for the foreseeable future, don't you?"

I closed my eyes and picture a little girl with bushy brown hair reading a book, and a little black haired boy chewing on my tail. I could think of much worse fates, and hey who knows when I go back to Hogwarts I might even be able to reopen my chapter of S.P.E.W.

**A/N: There it is the end of my challenge entry. I hope you all enjoyed the short trip through Crookshanks' mind, it was an exercise in narcissism but I had a lot of fun.**


	5. Darkness Falls

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's not mine, and I imagine the paces I am about to put some of her characters through would put her into shock.**

''''''''''''

Insanity was too kind of a word to describe the actions Harry Potter and his wife had undertaken during the period now described as the Voldemort conflict amongst wizarding historians. Granted in a way insanity was perhaps the only apt way to describe his actions, given that he had been completely sane during the entirety of the time.

One supposed it all started when Ron had abandoned them after they had their little fight about the Horcruxes. Of course, he would always stain Ron with the brushstroke of that particular memory, not because of the pain it caused him, but for the pain it caused Hermione. She had been completely devastated and Harry assumed it had been because they were deeply in love. Doing the only thing he could think to do, he had offered her a shoulder to cry on, and due to some strange twist of fate a shoulder she slept on as well.

What had started as a simple act of comfort finally gave him the impetus needed to fulfill his destiny. He and Hermione had to very strong emotions coursing through their veins during those dark days, rage at the way fate had dealt them their cruddy hand and the overwhelming new love they had begun to forge between them. Most nights they had frantic sex until they simply fell asleep due to exhaustion, but there were also nights when they spoke quietly to each other about their next moves in the war, or what they would do with their lives after it was all over.

Their actions started simply enough, Hermione had finally managed to track the one who had been leading them by their noses around the countryside via the doe patronus. Of course, when they discovered a pale and startled Severus Snape, well things had gotten a bit out of hand. Magic no longer had those silly connotations of light and dark, instead it was simply a matter of what worked and what didn't.

Hermione used benign cooling charms to numb the man's body as they slowly destroyed him with a variety of everyday household spells. Harry couldn't help but remember his incoherent shrieks about his undying love for his long dead mother. Hermione had stopped that man's ranting by using a spell that would normally chop vegetables up, to chop something else up.

He would have never guessed that his lover, the girl he had always remembered as being a stickler for rules being so adept at torture. On the other hand it did make a perverse amount of sense that the daughter of dentists would know a thing or two about the application of pain.

In the end it had taken Snape telling them about the locations and identities of the rest of the Horcruxes for Harry to finally take part in the proceedings. Having found a book on dark rituals in a muggle bookstore of all places he had found out all about the ritual used to create Horcruxes and the specificities that could be used therein. It had taken but one properly places severing charm to end the run of the half blood prince and extract the piece of Voldemort's soul from his scar and place it into the locket.

Two days later they had both awoken when the wards of their little camp were breeched, only to find Gryffindor's sword setting just outside of the boundary and some large footsteps next to them. Hermione had taken one look at the prints before she concluded that Ron had tried to return to their midst only to be rebuffed by the wards. She had taken the sword with the assumption that is was to be used on any horcrux that they found the remainder of their journey having been imbued with the power of basilisk venom when Harry had used it in the chamber of secrets.

Another unusual side effect of their rage was that the horcrux and its effects had almost seemed to shy away from them now. It had only become more pronounced when Harry had rejoined the piece of Voldemort's soul in his scar to the one in the locket. With a simple stab of the sword two more pieces of Tom Riddle's soul took residence in hell where they belonged.

With that accomplished they next approached the goblins about obtaining Ravenclaw's diadem from the Lestrange's vault. Initially, the goblins had refused but after some well placed threats the object had been quickly removed and the horcrux dispatched off before it was returned to its original place. An unexpected bonus of the trip had been when the goblin's offered him the vaults of any executed deatheaters under the tenets of spoils of war.

After being told as much, the next trip was to Malfoy manor as they hitched a ride with Dobby to his former master's home. It hadn't been a smooth trip at all, but thanks to Beedle the Bard Hermione had already postulated that Draco Malfoy was the master of the elder wand. A trip during the night had revealed the wand in Dumbledore's tomb, and while they both had some mixed feelings about their actions they had taken it and planned on using it as the ultimate weapon to defeat Voldemort.

They had quite literally found the elder Malfoy's with their pants down, and after a quick pair of blasting hexes they had been dealt with. Perhaps even more disturbing was what they found Draco Malfoy doing. He was in the process of raping an unconscious Luna Lovegood in the cellar of the house as Old Mr. Ollivander was screaming obscenities at the boy.

Harry proceeded to cast a body bind on the monster before he began to work off six years of anger and frustration on the twit. Hermione meanwhile removed all traces of Draco's actions before she revived the girl and freed here along with the elderly wand maker.

Harry had just finished scooping out Draco's other eye with a conjured spoon when a scream from a familiar voice froze his blood. After administering mercy in his own way, and ending the Malfoy line forever Harry turned and was face to face with Bellatrix as she held a barely conscious Hermione at wand point.

Harry glanced around for Luna and Mr. Ollivander and assumed they had gotten away when he couldn't spot them. The first spell he had actually cast on another human being with the elder wand was not one he'd soon forget. It was a highly concentrated piercing hex and instead of acting almost like the magical equivalent of a knife, the enhanced spell pierced and then continued to completely destroy the crazed woman's right knee, in essence removing her right leg beneath the knee in the process.

Bellatrix crumbled all too quickly at this point, and Hermione stumbled away her eyes still glossy with lingering pain. Harry waved a general healing spell in her direction and she immediately started to look better. A moment later Harry cast the cruciatus on Bellatrix Lestrange for the second time in less that two years. Where the first time had failed because he hadn't hated the woman enough to properly fuel the curse, he had no such issues this time as he held the curse and watched Bellatrix thrash about on the floor as her blood quickly pooled under her from the gaping wound in her leg.

Slowly her struggles became sluggish and ceased altogether as she passed out from blood loss; her death wouldn't make so much as a blip on anyone's radar for hours. The remainder of the war seemed to pass in a blur from that point for Harry and Hermione. Potterwatch kept them abreast of Voldemort's puppet government, and the occasional letter traded with Remus or one of the Weasleys kept them aware of the Order's movements.

Voldemort himself had been rather anticlimactic after Neville of all people had dispatched of Nagini in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry simply locked the brother wands up again, and then he pulled out the elder wand and cast the killing curse. Due to the nature of the golden cage that had formed, the death of Voldemort was only seen through Harry's eyes and due to the nature of Voldemort's magically built body, there was no proof left after the final sliver of soul remaining in the husk had been snuffed out.

Remus and Tonks had survived the battle, battered but still standing, and they had even announced that Tonks was nearly four months pregnant and that they had married. Ron and Ginny desperately looked like they wanted to separate Harry and Hermione, but what could they really do to the witch and wizard that had nearly single handedly won them the battle. While Harry had been engaged with Voldemort, Hermione had taken down Dolohov and had been engaged in a running battle with Fenrir Greyback that witnesses would long remember.

Rumors slowly leaked out in the days following Voldemort's final defeat of some of the things Harry and Hermione had been forced to do. In the end Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new minister of magic, had nominated the pair for an Order of Merlin. The surprisingly low number of casualties for the light side at the Battle of Hogwarts also meant that the festivities wouldn't be tainted by the somber mood of many memorials.

In the end Harry and Hermione decided that life in the spotlight was not something they wanted, and they brokered a deal with Kingsley that would make both of them representatives in the new Wizengamot in exchange for a large magically protected island off the coast of South America.

While it was widely known that Harry and Hermione Potter had been married, only two people received what amounted to a notice of non-invitation.

Ron and Ginny Weasley both got letters that simply said,

_You both had our love and threw it away when you abandoned us. We are both happier than we ever were with you. So we only have two words to say to you now that we have married and are preparing to start the rest of our lives._

_Thank you._

It took many years, but eventually wizarding Britain moved into the 20th and eventually the 21st century in regards to how they treated each other. But, the combination of Harry and Hermione Potter would always be remembered as the power that many did not know.


	6. Interest Due

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's not mine, I think it will be obvious when I'm not a sycophantic toady to the Weasley family in this story.**

'''''''''''''''

Harry couldn't believe the sequence of events that had led to his current situation as he walked back towards Hogwarts after a successful expedition to retrieve the resurrection stone. He had changed his mind several times about reuniting the Hallows, until something he had long rebelled against finally struck home. Whether he had selected it or not, he had become the master of the Hallows, and therefore for the first time he was the true master of his destiny. There would be no more manipulative but well-meaning headmasters, or vindictive potions masters to lead him around by his nose.

As he rolled the resurrection stone around in his hands he felt a strange peace settle over him, he wasn't afraid of death or what was to come. He had seen what was beyond the veil of life, and what was held there no longer terrified him. With the Elder wand in hand, he felt powerful, powerful enough to actually make a difference in the world, without wasting energy on the idiocy of the purebloods that mostly sympathized with Voldemort because they were too cowardly to do otherwise.

The ministry was ready power to those in the wizarding world, and if his experiences had taught him anything about the people in the wizarding world, was that if given just a morsel of power, it would corrupt absolutely. Good people, even those he might call friends would all fall to the same allure of power, and yet he had proven resilient against those overtures since Voldemort had offered him a place at his side when he was 11 year old and much more naïve about the world.

The castle was still smoldering in places from the remnants of the battle that had taken place nearly a week ago. The first few days had gave way to huge celebrations, as the people of the Wizarding World congratulated themselves on weathering the storm that Voldemort had wrought. Harry had seen far too many people that he knew had actively worked against walk free again; their stories of being enthralled by Voldemort working to sooth the few remaining frayed nerves the war had created.

The people that had the power to fight against such injustice were still grieving the losses at the battle, he could still barely believe that he would be sharing custody of Teddy with Andromeda as soon as he got a job and settled into adulthood. Everyone had losses to contend with, so grieving had been a community process in action, as everyone remained close and yet still somehow at arm's length.

Ginny had been particularly troublesome in retrospect, but in the immediate aftermath, Harry hadn't dwelled on it too deeply. Hermione had already set off and then promptly returned from Australia with her parents, her burgeoning 'whatever' with Ron was still simmering on the side as she put their lives back together. Harry had to suppress a grin at the thought that Hermione had surely created a workable reason for the Grangers to leave their dental practice for a year, and they had returned to their lives with the barest amount of problems.

As he approached the lake on the southern part of the grounds he spotted a familiar head of dirty blonde hair blowing in the wind near the edge of the water. Luna had a loaf of bread in hand and would occasionally tear a piece of bread from the loaf, ball it up and throw it into the lake.

Harry smiled as he pocketed the resurrection stone and walked over to visit with his friend, "Wotcher Luna."

Luna continued to gaze out towards the lake as she cocked her head before dreamily replying, "Oh hello Harry. Managed to reunite the Hallows finally, have you?"

Deciding against answering the question he asked, "Still staying at the castle until your father repairs your house?"

Luna merely hummed in tacit agreement before she asked, "Who do you trust now Harry?"

Harry blinked in surprise; Luna always did have an uncomfortable talent as somehow seeing the less than pleasant issues in other's lives. After the initial surprise of her question he began to consider her words, he supposed there were levels of trust, but he assumed Luna referred to the people he trusted with everything, and not just specific parts.

After a moment of deep thought he replied, "I suppose if I trusted anyone it would be Hermione, and…you."

Luna's lips turned upwards slightly as she gave off the smallest of smiles, "I am very happy to hear you say that."

Harry merely nodded as he thought on why he hadn't said Ron, or even Ginny for that matter when asked who he trusted the most. Hermione had been with him for every meaningful moment in their friendship, and for that reason alone he trusted her with his very life. Luna on the other hand, she had always tried to help him, even if it was in obtuse ways sometimes. He thought back to all of the times that he had been unworthy of her friendship, and was surprised at just how much of a berk he had been the previous year at Hogwarts.

Shaking his head he spoke in a soft tone, "I've not always been the best friend to you Luna. For that I apologize, you've deserved better than you've gotten in life."

Luna turned to Harry the same hint of a smile on her face as she said, "You've deserved better than you've gotten in life also Harry. The question is: what are you going to do about it?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair mussing it up before he decided to sit down on a nearby rock, "Honestly, I haven't a bloody clue."

Luna canted her head to the side, "Tell me when you figure it out, will you?"

Harry merely nodded as Luna stated, "I suppose you're wishing Hermione was here right now."

Harry shrugged, "She has her own life to worry about, I can't bother her for an opinion every time I make a decision for the rest of my life now, can I?"

Luna turned her gaze back to the lake, balling another bunch of bread up before tossing it a deceptively long distance into the lake. "You resent her for spending all of her time with Ronald now. I suspect that when their silly little romance ends, she'll wish she had you back."

Harry chuckled, "You make it sound like we've been married Luna. I'll always be there for her when she needs me." After a moment he added, "Anyways, I imagine they'll end up married with sprogs before too long."

Luna idly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Hermione is my friend, but she has spent so much of her life with only her books, that she often forgets the reality of situations."

Harry remained silent as Luna continued unperturbed, "Ginevra has told me that Hermione always complained about nearly every aspect of Ronald's behavior. Yet I've noticed that when he does have one of his moments of brilliance, Hermione seems to reward Ronald more than the situation deems prudent." She turned her gaze back to Harry and continued in a conspiratorial whisper, "It's obvious she's been infected by Nargles."

Harry cracked a smile and Luna turned back towards the lake, "They were fighting when I left the castle. Hermione seemed rather upset when Ronald suggested they have a celebratory shag. Daddy always tells me that being attacked by Peruvian Water Shags is quite painful, so I can see why she was upset at the suggestion."

Harry had grown quite accustomed to Luna's flights of whimsy in the past several months, but that was too much for him to handle. He was caught between the anger that he wanted to take out on Ron, and amusement that Luna could describe such a volatile situation in such an off-handed manner.

Thankfully Luna paid him no mind as she continued, "Now that Hermione knows the reality of a relationship with Ronald, I assume she'll finally see the folly of her thoughts."

Harry wanted to defend Ron at all costs from this seeming attack before he restrained himself; he still felt the pain from Ron leaving after their fight on the locket. That alone was the reason he hadn't told Luna he trusted Ron the most, because he never knew when Ron would let a perceived slight come between them again. If the fight with Hermione spilled over into their friendship again, there was a reasonable chance it might come to that again, because this time he would be taking Hermione's side, no questions asked. He owed her that much at least, and he had a feeling there would be some fall out from the choice.

Luna tossed the last bread ball into the lake before she walked over to the rock next to Harry and sat patiently as he worked though whatever he was dealing with.

Harry finally said, "Well, only time will tell which of us is right."

Luna gave Harry a fathomless look before she said, "I suppose so."

Harry continued to breathe deeply, in and out, just enjoying the quiet of the moment for one of the first times in his life. He no longer had to deal with constant conflict, and for the first time peace, true peace surrounded him. He doubted he could have this kind of peace with anyone else aside from Luna, because unlike his other friends she knew when to talk, and when to remain silent.

He had no idea how much time had passed when Luna began to speak again, "So they've decided to reopen Hogwarts in September again this next year. Apparently any students have the option of including this year or retaking it next year. I believe I've learned more this year, than any other of my years at Hogwarts, although I haven't found a Snorkack yet. Do you plan on returning for your seventh year?"

Harry glanced sideways at Luna, surprised at how serious her expression had become, her gaze had lost nearly all of its dreamy quality. "I reckon I've come this far, so I might as well finish it out. I'd like to think my mum and dad would have wanted me to get on with my life, and stop dealing with prophecies."

Luna reached over and put her hand on Harry's shoulder, "We all have a destiny Harry, yours just happens to be bigger than most. You are the master of death; surely you didn't think you'd live a quiet life with a quiet wife, having several average children with horrible names, did you?"

Harry felt a strange feeling begin to settle in the pit of his stomach, he wasn't sure if it was because of Luna's words, the warmth of her hand on his shoulder, or a combination of the two. Finally he looked at her with a sheepish smile, "Sounds kind of stupid when you put it like that." Feeling a little brave he grasped Luna's hand in his own, pulling it from his shoulder, but continuing to grip it.

Luna's eyes shimmered with something long repressed, he wasn't aware if it was genuine affection or something else, but it only amplified the feeling in his stomach. "I don't know when you'll begin to believe it Harry, but you are a great wizard and an even better person when you put your mind to it."

Before he knew what had happened Luna leaned over and gave him a tentative kiss on the cheek, his skin burning on the spot long after she had retreated.

It could have been horribly awkward, and by all account it should have been so, but with Luna Harry never felt the need to apologize for lacking the right words or actions for the moment. They continued to sit in silence, there sweaty palms still in contact as the sun began to sit over the horizon.

In the distance a familiar bushy head of hair could be seen heading in their direction, and Luna almost looked disappointed for a moment as she said, "Oh dear, it appears as though Hermione has come to talk about her fight with Ronald."

Harry merely nodded thoughtfully, his mind on something other than Luna as he finally spoke, "Luna?"

Luna canted her head to lock gazes with him, "Yes?"

Harry smiled softly, "You know when you asked what I planned on doing." Luna merely nodded as he continued, "What if I told you I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I wouldn't complain if it involved looking for Snorkacks."

Luna smiled as Hermione waved at them and continued to walk closer, "I would say, that you've picked a very good place to start."

Hermione stopped mere feet away, her face flushed from the walk as she exclaimed, "Merlin Harry, I've been looking everywhere for you."

Harry finally released his grasp of Luna's hand and he smiled at his friend, "Well, I've been here for awhile, but I have a feeling I already know what you have to say."

Hermione furrowed her brow at Harry before she glanced over at Luna, noticing the out of place flush on her face, before putting everything together. "Do you know?"

Harry nodded, "I think Ron is a bloody idiot, and I'm sorry I haven't defended you from him in the past. You've deserved better from me."

Hermione blinked before she took a seat on the rock on the other side of Harry speaking quietly, "You don't owe me anything Harry…but thank you just the same."

Harry reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand before he took Luna's as well, "I'd say its time we got on with our lives anyways. It's long past time that we know the difference between what we should do, and we actually do. Are you two coming along for the ride?"

Both girl's eyes softened and they both slid closer to rest their heads on Harry's shoulder, Destiny could go hang itself, it was time to find his own path, and this time it wouldn't have anything to do with a scar.

**A/N: I'd say there was sufficient evidence here to make your own decision on where this one could go. I always wondered why Harry wanted to be normal so much considering the Dursleys strived for the same thing, and he saw what came from it.**

**Take the time to review if you have thoughts on this one, and thanks for reading.**


	7. Meant to Happen vs Meant to Last

**Disclaimer: It's JK Rowling's not mine. I should think that's obvious by now.**

**A/N: This is my response to all of the angst fics that have been filling up the newest fics page for the past week or so.**

Friends like Seamus and Dean had died at the beginning of their seventh year, and Parvati and Lavender, well by the time the deatheaters had finished with their bodies their minds were long gone to a far better place. The young had paid the price for the failures of the old with blood, and all they had to show for it was one less evil bastard to organize all of the slightly less evil bastards.

The Weasleys had escaped the carnage completely unscathed aside from the destruction of the burrow. But, Harry knew that Ron and the twins had been involved in enough mortal combat that laughter would be hard to come by for a rather long time. Ginny might have been in the same boat if her betrayal of sorts hadn't resulted in her house arrest at Grimmauld Place during the year. An unpleasant by-product of Hogwarts not reopening due to safety concerns.

Pureblood princes like Draco Malfoy had managed just enough of reasonable doubt in the hysteria following the battle to avoid Azkaban, despite the presence of the dark mark on his arm. A dark mark that was thankfully faded with Voldemort's death. The inner circle had been decimated with Voldemort, and to everyone's surprise a completely exonerated Severus Snape had been the one to deal with Bellatrix Lestrange.

Watching the water of the great lake had become one of the few things that Harry Potter could associate with peace and tranquility during the Great War against Voldemort. By the end of the final battle the losses had been high, but Harry and most of his friends had been fortunate.

However, the reason Harry was looking out at the lake today was to remember all of the good times he had shared with one of those lost friends, Hagrid the half-giant man that rescued him from the bleak life he had lived with the Dursleys.

As he watched the Giant Squid reach one great tentacle out of the water a tap on his shoulder signaled that he had gained some company. Hermione sat next to him on the large flat rock by the lake before she said, "I miss him too."

Harry managed a small smile as he reached over and patted her knee. After long stretch of silence Harry said, "I only regret one thing about Hagrid; and that's how things happened last year."

Hermione frowned slightly, her nose crinkling as she replied, "I think we can both agree that last year was not our best year."

Harry laughed, "Oh come off it, you finally got Ron like you wanted and I managed to get a month or so with Ginny. It wasn't all bad."

Hermione sighed, "Well, you saw how well the how thing with Ron went. We dated for a month and had three kisses, each one more awkward are horrible than the last."

Harry grinned, "Well, I think you two got together because it was just sort of one of those things that were meant to happen, even if for only a short time."

Hermione smiled faintly as she teased, "Yes, well dating Ron was more like dating a brother than an actual crush." She poked Harry in the side gently as she scooted closer, "What about you and Ginny? That must have been like dating your sister."

Harry gave her a dubious look, "Just because she is Ron's little sister, it doesn't make her mine. I mean I didn't ever really know her all that well until this year, and we all see how that turned out."

Hermione smiled sadly, "Harry, there was no way of telling that she had altered her perfume to act as a watered down version of Amortentia."

Harry shrugged, "I guess in the end it didn't matter, Ron caught her red-handed trying to spike my drink with some actual Amortentia at the wedding and it was all over from there."

Hermione sighed and looked at him hopefully, "That night wasn't all bad, was it?"

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said, "Nah, our dance at the reception definitely made me feel a lot better. I only wish I had thought to do it at the Yule Ball. But, between Ron and Krum that night I thought it was better safe than sorry."

Hermione commented, "I think we could have been spared a lot of heartache if you had danced with me, but I can understand your reasoning."

Harry shrugged and said, "I'll admit I've made my mistakes in the romance department, but so have you Miss McLaggen."

Hermione faked gagging for a moment, "Yes, well it was obvious I had to do something to get Ron's attention. Then I even confounded him at the trials, and I thought I was going to die when you figured it out. I had never been so mortified in my entire life. Here I was Ms. Rules, and I even gave you a hard time about _muffilato_ and I confounded someone to help Ron make the team. But, in a way I helped you out too."

Harry arched his eyebrow, "How so?"

Hermione grinned, "Well, if you had been forced to choose between the two then you couldn't have won. I mean you choose Ron and everyone accuses you of favoritism, and if you choose McLaggen then Ron hates you."

Harry shrugged, "I had planned on both making the team, but you sort of took that decision out of my hands."

Hermione frowned but nodded, "Yes, last year wasn't our best year. I mean you used that spell on Malfoy that almost killed him, and you didn't even know what it was."

Harry merely nodded, "Yeah I think we took the low road last year. But, I think we've more than made up for it this year."

Hermione sighed as she glanced over her shoulder back at the partially rebuilt version of Hagrid's hut. She finally said, "That's the one bad part about having regrets, most of the time you can't do anything to get rid of them."

Harry nodded before he said, "This year has been the best of my life though. I never thought I'd laugh so hard as when we went to Snuffles' place for Christmas and we saw the look on Molly's face when we kissed. She looked at Ron expecting him to be furious, and she looked at Ginny expecting her to be heartbroken. Of course, Ron was eating and Ginny finally had to explain what she had done leaving Molly in a daze for the rest of the holidays. It certainly hadn't been the one big family that Molly had dreamed of.

Hermione smiled slightly as she cuddled into his shoulder and asked, "Why do you think we'll always be together Harry."

Harry pondered for a long moment before he replied, "I guess that's the one thing I'm certain of when I look back at the past six years; when you stuck by me every time, even when I was wrong, if only to protect me from myself. I had always taken that for granted until last year, when we both pulled away from each other. I know I was terrified of losing you after what happened in the department of mysteries, and I think you were terrified of losing me after you heard the prophecy." Hermione could only nod; it had been a scary time after Harry had told them the prophecy. It was after her Harry filled fantasy courtesy of the twins that she knew she needed to move on from Harry, if only for a time.

Harry continued after a moment, "Having what we had for most of our first five years disappear like that, I mean it forced us to finally get over the dependence we had on each other and move on to Ron and Ginny. I mean looking back Ron and Ginny were always two flings I guess I knew would happen. But, I also kind of knew that they weren't meant to last, they were only escapes from what we knew was right."

Hermione crawled into Harry's lap and asked, "That's why were meant to last."

Harry smiled as she began to lean in and he murmured, "Jealousy and bitterness don't make lasting love, but what we have does."

Their lips finally connected as they kissed for several long heart-stopping minutes before Hermione pulled away and with a smile said, "You know, you still have to be properly introduced to my parents."

Harry groaned, "I'm certain your dad can finish Voldemort's job, can't he?"

Hermione propped her arms up on his shoulders as she rose to her feet before she said, "What's one more adventure?"

Harry grinned as he too slowly rose to his feet, "I'd say that loving you is going to be our greatest adventure yet."

So it was like that, as the buck-toothed bushy-haired bookworm and the knobby-kneed raven -ed hero walked into the sunset, and to think all of it had started with a scar.

**A/N: There you go the ending of book 7, completed as an epilogue and ending with the word scar. This is going to be what I tack on to book 6 if book 7 ends up as a bust. **

**I hope you all liked the fluff and little bit of angst mixed together. Thanks for reading and please take the time to review.**

Return to Top


	8. Potter's Rules

**Disclaimer: It's Jo Rowling's collection of characters, settings, plot holes, and related detritus not mine.**

**A/N: The basic premise for this story involves Harry reacting differently following the dementor attack on Privet Drive at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Most of us would probably examine the why of dementors suddenly showing up on Privet Drive much more than canon Harry did. This story will feature many of the same canon characters as my usual fare, but they won't be utilized the same way as you all are accustomed to. Read on and hopefully you will enjoy.**

Harry looked at the letter from Mr. Weasley and suddenly he experienced an epiphany of sorts, one of those light bulb moments that suddenly cast light on several other aspects of life that had remained a mystery beforehand. The Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore and his friends, and Voldemort all had their own agendas while he had just blindly stumbled forward each year, more content to survive than accomplish anything. It wasn't that he was incapable of having an agenda; rather he simply hadn't framed his life in that manner before. After all, anything was better than dealing with the Dursleys every day for the rest of his life, even dark wizards trying to kill him.

As he looked at the letter he debated for a moment before he sighed and pieced together the semblance of a plan. Rushing up the stairs to his room he ignored the sneers and words of the Dursleys as they look over precious Dudley. Deciding he had nothing else to lose he cast a simple shrinking charm on all of his possessions save for his cloak and wand. After he pocketed his belongings he released a deep breath and ran back down the stairs and past the Dursleys, once again ignoring their bluster and threats. Instead of going out the front door he turned right and went through the kitchen out the backdoor to the yard, before throwing his cloak over his head and darting into the back yard of number 10 Clement Drive.

If Mr. Weasley knew about the dementors attack odds were that there were other witches and wizards nearby keeping an eye on the state of things. Moving as quickly as he could while still hoping to avoid detection Harry made it several blocks away before he ducked behind a bush and removed his cloak. Glancing out into the deserted street Harry wiped at his brow to clean the sweat away before held out his wand hand and summoned the Knight Bus.

The purple monstrosity of a triple decker bus appeared a scant moment letter and Stan Shunpike ushered Harry in after delivering his usual spiel.

Harry wasn't interested in too much small talk and simply said, "Gringotts in Diagon Alley."

After forking over the fare for the ride Harry found an open bed and grasped the bed post firmly as the bus darted into the night. After several stops Stan called out, "Gringotts in Diagon Alley."

Without any fuss Harry stepped off the bus and at a trot ran to the front door of the Goblin run bank. The door was not locked and Harry opened it to find most of the lights off aside from one overhead light the shone directly on the one open goblin teller.

Harry walked up to the unoccupied goblin and said, "Hello, I'd like to request a balance on all of my accounts please."

The goblin glanced up at Harry and while his scar was covered the response was a sharp, "Key please Mr. Potter."

Harry handed over his key, able to use it for the first time in over a year as the goblin inserted the key into a slot and watched as a slip of parchment was ejected from a slot.

Handing the parchment over Harry blinked once at the text on the paper.

_**Potter, Harry J. Account Statement 2 August 1995**_

_**Legal Status: Emancipated Manor as of 31 July 1991**_

_Trust Vault Number 929: 14,754 ₲ 7 sickles and 0 knuts_

_Potter Family Vault: 175,953 ₲ 2 Sickles and 5 Knuts_

_**Antiquities and Properties on Record:**_

_Potter Manor: Godric's Hollow, Wales Unplottable to any not of Potter blood (portkey available in family vault)_

_Potter Escape: Johannesburg. South Africa (portkey to residence located in family vault)_

_Potter Plantation: New Orleans, Louisiana (portkey available at Potter family vault in Boston branch of Gringotts)_

_Potter family library located in Potter Plantation_

_Total Estimate of Antiquities and Properties as of 7 March 1962 1,500,625 ₲_

Harry gazed blankly at the parchment for a few minutes, not really understanding that he had three magical houses and he was considered an emancipated minor. Harry glanced up at the goblin and asked, "What would be the best way to travel to the Boston Branch of Gringotts.

The goblin grunted in reply before answering, "Each branch of Gringott's is in direct contact to the other, meaning that you need but request and we can transfer you via portkey. Was there anything else Gringott's can aid you with this night Mr. Potter?"

Harry rubbed at his eyes, the adrenalin rush from earlier beginning to ebb before he asked, "Does Gringott's have a non disclosure agreement with its customers?"

"Gringott's takes the privacy of its customers to the utmost importance Mr. Potter. Not even your Ministry of Magic can demand this information." The goblin gruffly replied.

Harry sighed, "I'd like to arrange for transport to your Boston branch please. If it isn't too much bother transfer all of my vaults to the Boston branch also please."

The goblin merely nodded and pressed a button on his desk before two other goblins entered the room, "Please escort Mr. Potter to the portkey department while I finalize his vault transfers."

The two goblins did as requested and a few minutes later Harry had vanished with the tug at his navel, his own agenda was slowly forming and in the meanwhile he was buying himself much needed time.

There was no such thing as a failed plan in Albus Dumbledore's mind as he sat in the main parlor room of Grimmauld Place absently sucking on a lemon drop. Instead of following Arthur Weasley's instruction in the letter Albus had ordered him to send, young Potter had done a runner and disappeared before either the agents of the Ministry of Magic, or Dumbledore's agents could arrive and take control of the volatile situation.

In a way, Harry's disappearance might benefit Albus the most, because it would shine light on a strange situation involving dementors, which contrary to popular opinion could be tracked and were tracked by the Department of Mysteries. Grasping at the proper threat of thought Albus pondered where young Harry might disappear to.

Harry was aware that his friends were at an unknown location meaning he would not travel to the Burrow, and while he might travel to Diagon Alley, he highly doubted the resourceful if naïve boy would stay in one place for too long.

He cursed instituting the communication blackout on the boy in retrospect; he should have ordered the Granger girl and the Weasley Boy to give him bread crumbs just to satiate his curiosity. Albus knew that Harry was a resourceful and curious lad since the boy's first year, and he had ignored that in the presence of his master plan.

So many intricate threads all led to the master plan, and with Harry's disappearance they would need to be rewoven to accommodate the changes. The boy would need to be found eventually, but it would not stop certain measures that were already in motion. He would send Alastor on a mission to track down the boy, and when he returned the boy would have to remain at an arm's length until after his mind was further opened to Tom.

He was broken from his musings as Sirius Black finished his shouting match with Molly Weasley and moved on to himself.

"I told you Dumbledore. Harry would view being ignored by his friends and allies in a very poor light, and the past year has clearly demonstrated that you aren't nearly as powerful and all-knowing as he once thought. He has one friend who has been loyal to him through thick and thin, and Ron Weasley hasn't endeared himself any further with his letters this summer. Don't be surprised if you lose whatever grasp you have on him altogether before this is all said and done." Sirius ranted as he paced around Dumbledore.

Dumbledore rubbed at his eyes before he flicked his wand several times, sending out a message calling all of the members of the Order of the Phoenix to attendance, this situation wasn't improving any as he thought on it, so he needed to marshal his resources and soon.

After a brief but full interaction with the American goblins in charge of the Boston branch of Gringott's Harry had his portkey to Potter Plantation, a Potter family house elf that had remained on retainer at the bank, and enough money to explore his options for the coming days. With a mere thought Harry disappeared from the designated portkey site and once again disappeared with the tug at his navel.

As he landed in a crouch two things became readily apparent, it was very humid in New Orleans, and there was a time change between London and New Orleans as he gazed out at the setting sun.

The little elf that had come along for the ride squeaked, "Does Master Harry have any bags that Lipsy can put away?"

Harry merely nodded and he enlarged his trunk, having retained enough legal counsel from the goblins in Boston to understand that there was no such thing as underage magic restrictions in the United States, merely had a much stricter requirement to keep the magical world secret, with parents being responsible in a magical household to keep the secret. For muggleborn children, the American Ministry took other measures, measures which the goblins were not at liberty to discuss.

As he gazed around it became apparent that claiming his Plantation was in New Orleans was more a matter of estimation than actual truth. He could see a large sea wall in the distance and surrounding him was swamp as far as the eye could see. He suddenly felt much safer than he ever had before in the past, and while he was tired he felt no desire to go to sleep straight away.

Lipsy returned with a soft pop a moment later and Harry asked, "Can you tell me about the security precautions of the Plantation Lipsy?"

The little elf bobbed its head and led Harry into the enormous gothic house, "Lipsy tells Master Harry that house is unplottable, and has enchantments that Master Harry keep Master safe from any other witches and wizards but the ones he brings to the Plantation with him. Magic keeps Plantation safe from muggles and weather, did Master see the seawall in the distance?"

Harry replied, "Yes I saw it Lipsy."

Lipsy squeaked, "Seawall keeps bad weather away with an enchantment. Master Harry can request detailed explanations of protections from goblins. Is Master Harry all finished with his schooling yet?"

Harry smiled ruefully, "No Lipsy, I still have three years of school left."

Lipsy bounced on his feet and suggested, "Maybe Master Harry should look at schools in this country if he leaves London with all of his money?"

Harry laughed at the elf actually suggesting something to him, it was a very different little creature from Dobby or Winky the little he knew of them. "Maybe I will Lipsy. But I think that can wait until tomorrow, for now how about we get some dinner, and we can talk about the rest of the house and property."

Lipsy snapped her fingers, "Lipsy will be making whatever Master Harry wants in Kitchen."

Harry grinned, "How about fish and chips tonight Lipsy, be sure to make some for yourself."

Lipsy pointed in the direction of the kitchen before she vanished with a pop to begin preparing the meal. Harry glanced around at a few of the portraits; none of them were magical, before wandering around in a few other rooms to pass the time. With each passing minute Harry felt that initial feeling of security seep further into his body, he didn't even notice that his scar no longer held the familiar ache that it had for the past two months since Voldemort regained his body.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix crowded into the room at Grimmauld Place, all of the seats taken and several were leaning against the walls waiting for the meeting to begin.

Dumbledore gazed throughout the room and sighed, "Let us begin by determining what actually happened tonight in full. Arabella, please give us a summary of what you saw tonight?"

Mrs. Figg looked rather overwhelmed for a moment before she replied, "Well, one of my babies felt the presence of the dementors and came back to my house to warn me. I had watched Harry head towards the playground earlier in the day and decided to take a peek to make sure he was being properly watched over. But, it seems rather obvious that Mundungus Fletcher decided he had more important things to be getting on with than fulfill his duty."

Dumbledore winced and replied, "I have already called Mundungus in and declared him an oath breaker, all of the necessary precautions have been taken, and he will have no memory of any business involving the Order."

Moody grumbled about something and Dumbledore picked up the story, "The ministry reported a patronus charm near Privet Drive, and given that Mr. Potter is the only wizard within miles he was given his second warning and told he would have a hearing to defend his actions. Thankfully Amelia Bones had the opportunity to further investigate Mr. Potter's prior records and determined that there was more occurring than seemed apparent. After turning some favors she determined that Delores Umbridge had authorized the dementors to track Mr. Potter with the intent of provoking a magical episode or killing him. Needless to say Delores has been taken into custody, and Harry's record has been completely expunged. In many ways, Harry's disappearance may prove to be a boon for our cause, so long as he remains free of Voldemort's followers. With that in mind, Severus, what can you report?"

Snape sneered, "The foolish boy has disappeared completely, and the dark lord can no longer feel the brat through their connection. Either the boy has perished, or he has traveled a great distance away."

Several members began to murmur with concern before Dumbledore assured them, "My equipment that is designed to monitor Mr. Potter indicates he is in good health, and is still very much alive."

Sirius arched his eyebrow, "You have equipment to monitor the health of my godson, and yet somehow I doubt you asked for the necessary permission to do so. Once again another instance of you treating Harry like an ignorant little pawn in this game of yours Dumbledore."

After an uncomfortable silence Dumbledore continued, "We all must make sacrifices to ensure our success in this war Sirius, you of all people should understand this."

Sirius frowned but didn't reply as the meeting continued, "I will assign a member of the Order to track Mr. Potter down and request that he return for his fifth year of schooling at Hogwarts. Let us further discuss the position of the ministry in this difficult time. Due to the loss of Umbridge and her relative political proximity to Cornelius, I believe that I can garner enough political capital to regain my positions that had been previously removed. When the Dark Lord decides to stop hiding in the shadows we shall make moves to place a Minister of Magic more sympathetic to our views into office."

After a few other status reports Dumbledore called the meeting to a close, making a hand motion to get Moody to stay behind.

McGonagall quickly found him as the others slowly began to file out, "Albus, I would like a word in private about your Prefect recommendations when you return to the castle."

McGonagall joined the others in the cue to portkey out, or use the Floo connection as Moody stomped over, "You want me to track the lad then Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded and Moody asked, "Is this all above board, or do you want me to bring him in at all costs?"

Dumbledore winced, "If he is found within the jurisdiction of this country and means should be used to bring Harry back in. If Harry has managed to leave the borders of Britain than I believe it should be a completely legal and voluntary process. My influence, great as it might soon be again, is not great enough to step on toes in other countries. The world has changed much since my defeat of Gellert."

Moody grunted and stomped away to use his personal portkey, he would begin the investigation at Potter's last known location and he would start before the trail went cold.

Harry slowly opened his eyes and when he did he wasn't greeted by the gloom of his room at Privet Drive, rather he saw sunlight streaming in through the windows. He couldn't believe he was thousands of miles away from where he had been just a day prior, but then again the magical world still had the ability to amaze him in both good and bad ways.

Harry rolled out of bed and ran a hand through his hair, mussing his bed head up even more, before a familiar bark could be heard in the distance. Harry winced as he realized he had forgotten all about bringing Hedwig along, his owl had been out hunting the previous night and had been forgotten in the mayhem. As he walked out of the master bedroom Hedwig swooped in and landed gently on his shoulder, nipping at his ear once as if to chastise him for forgetting her.

Harry smiled in chagrin, "Sorry Hedwig, last night was kind of crazy and I forgot all about you. Can you forgive me?" Hedwig barked once more before pushing off his shoulder and flying back to the chair she had been using as a perch.

Harry glanced around the room in the daylight and noticed that it seemed much friendlier with the aid of sunlight. Walking into the kitchen he smiled at the sight of Lipsy working on breakfast, "What are you making Lipsy?"

The little elf replied with a squeak, "Master Harry, your breakfast will be ready in five minutes. Lipsy is ready to buy you some new clothes after breakfast."

Harry smiled at the little elf and replied, "Why don't we worry about breakfast first, and then we can concentrate on getting some new clothes and looking at school information." As he took a seat at the small table they ate at the night before Harry began to figure out what he needed to do, and when he needed to do it.

Hermione Granger was not a happy witch for a number of reasons, the least of which was dealing with the overbearing Molly Weasley. The woman was kind hearted and friendly, but she never stopped with her invasive and uncomfortable ways. She would pop into her and Ginny's room and ask questions about how she felt about Harry and Ron. The woman would extol the virtues of her son, and while she wouldn't denigrate Harry she never said anything beyond neutral to her.

On the flip side of that she would always say little things to Ginny to encourage the girl to go after Harry, and she didn't bother to hide the fact that she did so.

Even though she didn't know the circumstances surrounding Bill and Charlie leaving the country, she could hazard an educated guess why, and it still didn't make her feel any better.

Beyond the obvious issues with Molly, none of them came close to her irritation with Headmaster Dumbledore and the other adults in the house, including Sirius, over the disappearance of her best friend. Many of those people near Harry Potter assumed the depth of friendship in the trio was an even and equal thing. However, even if Harry would never admit it out loud, she knew that Ron had been lagging from his end of the friendship for the last three years. No amount of Molly Weasley's words could make her forget the past two years of school, and how fair weather Ron had been. In the quiet of the night she would even regret pushing Harry to forgive Ronald for his indiscretion following the Goblet of Fire fiasco.

She had tried to send letters to Harry despite Dumbledore's orders, and still nothing had even been delivered. Dementor attacks, and her best friend missing was not a source of anything but great displeasure, and she made sure the others in the house were aware of it.

It was afternoon of the day following Harry's disappearance and her current target was one Remus Lupin, "Professor Lupin, I don't understand how you can remain so blasé about Harry's disappearance. Don't you care if he gets hurt?"

Remus Lupin rubbed tiredly at his eyes before replying to the tenacious little witch in front of him, "We've done all we can for now Hermione. Dumbledore's tracking charms have somehow stopped working, but we do know that Voldemort is unaware of Harry's location and that he is completely healthy wherever he is."

Hermione huffed, only slightly appeased, "


	9. Potter Granger Manifesto

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's world, and frankly after what she's done with it I doubt I'd want anything other than her money.**

**A/N: This is Hermione's response to canon DH specifically with some other things also, but you'll notice this is similar to my last one-shot ****'Stranger than Fiction'****. This also takes recent interviews by JKR into account, and then takes everything on a trip of whimsy and wonder (In other words the story isn't very good!)**

'''''''''''''''''''

Joanne Murray sighed as she thumbed through the few pieces of fan mail her editor and assistant had allowed through to her hands. She was nearing the end of her decade long Odyssey with Harry Potter, and the mail helped motivate her to write the difficult chapters of the story. She had just finished, what in her mind was the chapter that would put all of the silly shipping wars to bed and all she wanted to do was take a nice long hot bath and spend some time with her children.

After reading a pedantic letter from a young girl that spent half of it comparing herself to Ginny Weasley, she reached the last letter, although she could have sworn it hadn't been there a moment earlier.

The paper was thick and yellowed; it reminded her of the parchment one of her characters would write a letter on. Her curiosity piqued she opened the letter and read:

_Mrs. Murray,_

_I am writing this letter out of deep concern for the values you portrayed in your main characters during your last published book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Below is a list of issues I found most troubling._

_-The pointless bickering between Harry and Hermione over the potions book. In the end they were both right about the book, and all it served to do was drive a wedge between your two best characters._

_-Hermione's childish games to attract the attentions of Ron. She spent five books as the emotionally mature one of the trio; suddenly she got sucked up into Ron's tantrums about Viktor Krum._

_-Ginny Weasley's sudden ascension as a character. I have no personal issues with the character, but pairing her with her childhood knight in shining armor is an unhealthy lesson for young girls._

_-The general quality of the characters and their interaction in this book, were the most stilted and unbelievable to date. I do commend your attempts at writing teenaged flirting, I just think what you define is flirting needs a bit of clarifying._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Jane Puckle_

_P.S. I've always pictured you holding a letter of mine and saying 'Mischief Managed'. Could you do so for me this one time?_

Jo sighed as she finished the letter, the points brought forward were some of her own concerns for the book, but she was stuck between her outline and the way her characters had progressed. She hadn't planned on Hermione being the only developed female character in the series, but she had stolen some of the scenes that Ginny was supposed to get, at least she thought so, simply because she didn't like writing scenes with her.

Smiling slightly she held the paper in her hands and softly muttered, "Mischief Managed." However, as she went to sit the paper back on her desk she felt the bizarre sensation of being tugged at her navel.

She landed with a thump on soft earth in very familiar looking campsite, the fire was low and the tents led her to believe she might finally be cracking under the pressure of writing her final book in the series.

One of the tents shook for a moment before a bushy haired woman climbed out of the front flap carrying on a conversation with a messy haired man who followed her a moment later.

"Honestly Harry, I told you why I needed to talk to her. Stop being such a coward and come out here with me, the least you can do is offer some moral support."

Jo's eyes widened and she knew now that she was having a hallucination of some sort, before her in the flesh were how she had always picture Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

Hermione smirked at the gaping woman before she sighed and waved her wand, conjuring up three chairs for everyone to sit in.

Jo plopped down into her chair staring at the ground and taking deep gulping breaths of air for several long moments, before she felt a calming sensation flow over her body. After another minute to gather herself she looked up once again and upon seeing the same two people she calmly asked, "And you are?"

Hermione smiled, "I am Hermione Granger-Potter, and the black haired devil next to me is Harry Potter."

Jo nodded, "So you two are hallucinations then. I had assumed as much."

Hermione shook her head, her bushy hair bouncing as she replied, "We are not hallucinations, and I assure you, we are quite real."

Jo intelligently replied, "What?"

Hermione shared a glance with Harry before she answered, "Magic is a mysterious thing Ms. Murray, and as the daughter of squibs I would have assumed you knew that."

Jo was speechless as Hermione continued, "It might not appear like it Ms. Murray, but I am 27 years old and Harry here is 26. We are sitting in a campsite that we used nearly nine years ago, but then again you already knew that, didn't you?"

Jo really had no clue what was going on so she stated, "You can't be real; I made you both up."

Hermione laughed lightly, "Based upon a subliminal suggestion I planted in your mind while on a train ride when I was 15 years old you've more or less accurately written about the events that transpired during our first four years of school."

Jo furrowed her brow, "But, it has been sixteen years since I first came up with the idea."

Hermione nodded, "That's true, but you weren't brought here to discuss the mechanics of time travel with me. Needless to say, what I tell you is the truth, and if you take the time to look over your financial holdings, you will see several substantial deposits were made into an unmarked Swiss bank account by your publisher."

Jo blinked, "But…"

Hermione just shook her head, "That really doesn't matter Ms. Murray. Suffice it to say, Harry has been paid reasonably for having his life story told, and you weren't brought here so we could extort more money from you. You've made out pretty nicely, and despite what many people might say, I know you are a good person. Actually, we brought you here to discuss the less than accurate version of events that you have written for Harry's fifth, sixth, and soon to be seventh years."

Jo frowned, "But, I don't understand."

Hermione sighed, "I gave you detailed notes for those years as they took place, so that you could be prepared for what happened and embellish enough to ensure the truth while having literary carte blanche. What I do not understand, is how badly you have messed things up."

Jo looked perplexed, "Mrs. Murray, a simple memory modification performed by a competent adult wizard ensured that you though you had written those notes."

Harry finally spoke, "This may seem like a stretch, but please hear Hermione out."

Hermione smiled at Harry affectionately before she turned back to Jo, "This site was chosen for a very specific reason, because this is the site of my primary contention with what you are planning on writing for this setting. Namely, you settle the debate about who fancies me, and who views me as a sister."

Jo nodded, "Yes, that's true."

Hermione continued, "Let me ask you Mrs. Murray, if you had a choice between someone like Harry, or someone like Ron who would you choose?"

Jo relaxed before she answered, "I dated a few Ron type characters in my youth. But, my husband is very much like Harry."

Hermione nodded, "Exactly, and yet I am to assume my character would flock to Ron's character, and while he was a dear friend of mine, I can assure you I would never enter into a relationship with him, for the very reason you assumed I would. We bickered Ms. Murray, because we have very different views of the world, and what is important in it. We could remain at odds and still be friends, but we could not have a relationship based upon that, I would have killed him before the first week was out."

Jo didn't know how to reply and Hermione took her silence in stride, "I sat in this campground nearly nine years ago and when Ron left, I did make a choice. I chose to link my life to Harry's in a way I could never do with Ron. Harry and I married two years later, and we have had nearly seven wonderful years of marriage. There were no long nights of cold as I was miserable in the tent wailing about Ron. Harry came to me that same night and we comforted each other when it became evident that we were truly alone on the journey. We have shared a bed every night since then, whether it was in comfort, or in passion."

Jo frowned, "But, it was always so obvious in the stories that you and Ron fancied each other. Ginny came along and Harry found his match."

Hermione dropped her face into her hand with a groan before she said, "This is where you began to deviate from my notes. I don't know why you did it, but let me clarify a few things for you."

Jo nodded, somewhat bewildered by Hermione's reaction. "Ginny has never been a close friend, and she never dated Harry. You did get that kiss partially right in sixth year, of course it ended when Harry pushed her away and I socked her in the face for forcing herself on him like that."

Jo frowned, "But, Ginny is so feisty and passionate."

Hermione chuckled dryly, "You do know Ginny had quite the nickname back at Hogwarts. She was called the broomstick, and not because she played Quidditch. I think it was Seamus who explained, that she was like a broomstick because anyone who wanted to could get a ride."

Jo's eyes widened, "But, Molly would never allow that."

Hermione's eyes danced with laughter, "Well let's just say Ginny's habits were a source of contention in the Weasley household." Harry snorted at this point and Hermione swatted his arm.

Hermione shook her head, "Anyways, you did get Snape partially correct, but everything about him knowing Lily was completely fabricated. Severus Snape was obsessed with Lily Potter, and a master of the mind arts. He did give some memories to Harry, but they were all false and in the end it was proven that he was merely a vindictive man that held Lily's rejection against Harry as much as any prank James might have pulled."

Jo sighed as Hermione continued, "Dumbledore was actually killed by Draco Malfoy, although he couldn't manage enough hate to kill him with his killing curse, however his blasting charm and the subsequent fall were enough to kill the headmaster."

Hermione took a shuddering breath, "Malfoy manor and the events that occurred there were mostly wrong. I was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, but that only made Harry angry enough to kill each and every death eater in the house. They were the first and last lives Harry ever took in the war. He was completely catatonic for a week, but only after he had determined that I would be fine."

"Voldemort destroyed himself, and you got that right, for the most part anyways. Remus and Tonks survived the final battle, in fact as a pair they took down more deatheaters than anyone else. The twins both were injured, Fred lost an eye, and George lost all of his hearing in one ear. But, WWW is still going strong. Fred really enjoys his magical eye, apparently the pranking value of an eye that can see through pretty much everything is very high."

Jo's eyes were wide, while she was wearing a small smile at the mention of the Weasley twins, "Did anyone die that I have living in the book?"

Harry quietly chimed in, "Percy was killed as he pushed Molly out of the way of a killing curse."

Hermione glanced worriedly over at Harry before she turned back to Jo, "Aside from that you were accurate in your depiction of the final battle. But, why did you make the changes from my notes in the first place?"

Jo blinked, "Well I thought they were my notes, so I took some creative license to finish the story like I wanted to."

Hermione nodded, as Jo asked, "Where is Ron?"

Hermione shrugged, "No idea really, we haven't been too close since he abandoned us during the horcrux hunt. He did catch back up with us, but by then Harry and I were more or less together, so he was a fifth wheel."

Jo frowned, "You would cast aside your friendship that easily? You three went through so much together just for it to end like that."

Hermione simply replied, "He was the one that cast us aside, and he even forced me to choose between my two best friends at the time. I don't consider either of those things particularly friendly, horcrux addled or otherwise. In the end he made an assumption, and he blamed Harry when his assumption was proven wrong."

Jo gaped for a moment before her mouth closed with an audible click, "Who are your circle of friends now?"

Harry jumped in again, "Neville and Hannah Longbottom are our closest friends, but we do keep in close contact with the Weasleys and the Lupins."

Jo sat silently for a few long moments, assimilating all of the information with a fond smile on her face. Knowing that these characters were real people and apparently happy seemed to make the work of finishing the story inconsequential.

Jo looked at Harry and Hermione in a quiet conversation, their eyes locked and she cleared her throat before she asked, "Do you two have any little ones?"

Hermione's face lit up and she spared Harry with a shy glance before taking his hand in hers, "I'm three months along with my first. I have an appointment with a healer next week to find out the sex and to do my first full check up."

Jo smiled and quietly said, "Congratulations." Harry and Hermione smiled and nodded before they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jo broke the silence as she asked, "What are your careers, if you don't mind me asking."

Harry and Hermione shared a quick look before the raven haired wizard replied, "I earned my mastery in defense while I've been playing Quidditch as the starting seeker for Puddlemere United. My lovely wife here earned her mastery in Transfiguration and has taken over the Professorship at Hogwarts."

Jo nodded, "Decided against being aurors then?"

Hermione answered, "By the end of the war, only a handful of the less dangerous death eaters remained, and frankly working for the ministry was not an option especially after everything that had happened."

Jo nodded before Harry added, "Fawkes has joined us also, apparently he had somewhere to go for a few years and one day he just popped in on us as we were eating breakfast. He tends to spend a lot of time at Hogwarts, but his perch is at our place in Godric's Hollow."

Jo's face took on an inquisitive look and Hermione nearly laughed as she added, "By the way, we found out in some personal diaries of Dumbledore that he had a rather illicit affair with Grindelwald in his youth. Not, that it would add much to the series to know that, but if you want to bring some positive press to the gay community there is your chance."

Hermione sighed heavily after they shared a good laugh about Dumbledore, this conversation had taken a very strange detour somewhere, and in the end it had turned into something akin to a school reunion. "Mrs. Murray, as much as I've enjoyed this chance to clear the air and reminisce, Harry and I do have dinner arrangements with Neville and Hannah in muggle London."

Jo nodded as she glanced at Harry, "Do I just repeat the same thing as before with the parchment in hand?"

Harry stretched as he stood up, Hermione vanishing the three chairs, "Yes Mrs. Murray, that's all there is to it."

Hermione added, "Of course you won't reappear within sight range of anyone else, but yes you'll be going back to your home."

Jo nodded and before she said the magical words she asked, "Should I change the stories to match everything you told me?"

Hermione simply answered, "Originally that is exactly what I wanted. But, now that we've had a chance to talk, I think I'll leave that completely up to you."

Jo nodded before Harry added, "Have a safe trip Mrs. Murray."

With a smile Jo nodded as she ended the most magical day in her life with two simple words, "Mischief Managed."

**A/N: Well this isn't exactly the best story I've ever written, but my brain wandered onto a plot bunny and I chased it to the end with this one.**


	10. Musings of the Damned

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's world not mine, otherwise I'd be much more wealthy and quite possibly more insane.**

**A/N: Snape lovers might not enjoy this one all that much, this is my take on who he truly was as a man in canon via an internal monologue in his office over his year as headmaster of Hogwarts.**

'''''''''''''''''''''''

It was all so meaningless now, following a dead man's last wishes as if they were actually his own personal beliefs and values. He had respected Albus Dumbledore, enough to take that cursed unbreakable vow to do everything the man had ordered him to do even beyond his death. Unbreakable vows were tricky things that way, even if the other person died your own magic forced you to comply or die in defiance.

Severus Snape was many things including but not limited to, nasty, bitter, murderous, petty, vindictive, spiteful, and maybe even somewhat lecherous. But one thing he was certain no one could ever really label him as was, defiant. Dumbledore had ordered him to become a servant of the dark lord, and the unbreakable vow had forced him into his service, and then he was stuck between two powerful men with opposing views, but similar modes of operation.

The world had continued to turn after the dark lord had been temporarily vanquished, he watched in amusement as Lucius Malfoy, a man he knew to have raped more women than probably any other man in history, slide into a position of respectability as an advisor to the Minister of Magiic.

Albus Dumbledore condemned a child to years of abuse, and an eventual death all in the pursuit of the man's personal views of the greater good of the wizarding world.

Lily, the one woman he could have ever seen himself loving, his promised prize from the dark lord was dead, foolishly having thrown her life away for his worthless spawn.

That left him, still tied to a meddling powerful wizard, his dark mark having never disappeared, meaning his reprieve was temporary at best. The years passed and soon enough he had to watch as the incarnate of James Potter once again roamed the halls of Hogwarts, but now he was compelled to protect the boy even at risk to his own life.

The few joys he was able to take from the following years were his hand in keeping Black on the run, even though he was well aware of Pettigrew's actual role in Godric's Hollow and the other confrontation, and then eventually his hand in delaying the warning that Potter gave him during the brat's fifth year. That delay had led to Black's death even if Dumbledore and Potter never truly were aware of it.

Then, when his life had a rare ray of sunshine he was forced once again to take an unbreakable vow, this one signed his untimely demise, now it was only a question of when, not one of how.

How he wished that so many of his decision of his youth had been made with the hindsight he now had at his hand in abundance. He had lived a life full of regrets, evil deeds, and he had acted in his own personal interests every single moment he wasn't under explicit orders from one of his two masters.

He closed his eyes as he could feel the wards of the school protest at the Carrows using the cruciatus curse on students again. If he cared more, if he was a better man he might think of a way to limit the despicable siblings and their behaviors, but he felt stretched thin so often at this point he figured one more damnable act wouldn't matter too much in the end.

The months continued to pass, and he was beginning to feel the impending dirge of his final act on the orders of Dumbledore. Every time he snuck out of the castle to leave bread crumbs for Potter were like grinding glass shards into his eyes, and yet the vow spurred him along. The little solace that he had survived longer than James Potter and Sirius Black was wearing thinner each day. Maybe Dumbledore was right, and death was merely the beginning, but he had no illusions that any peace awaited him beyond his inevitable demise. The dark lord was growing more suspicious by the day, and his latest quest for power was highlighting just how insane the dark lord had become in the past few years.

He had taken Potter's little Weasley aside and had some fun with her during a detention, a simple obliviate spell later and no one would be the wiser. Even now he questioned the point of his spite and bitterness, what did he gain by spoiling a young woman, for the acts of Potter's own damnable father and godfather? Sometimes even _he_ hated himself and understood just how damned he was, hoping against hope his final act would serve as some measure of redemption.

As he felt the last of his life seep out onto the ground, he tried his final piece of penance, giving Potter his memories of Lily, the one thing that he still held of any value. Even then he could see Potter's hatred, followed by a glimmer of understanding, and finally…pity. He never wanted pity, but somehow being pitied by a Potter as he died was the final affront in a life filled with hatred and bile.

Dumbledore had been right, there was something beyond life, although he never would grant it the joy of some last great adventure. Perhaps it was fitting, he sat here in purgatory with Albus Dumbledore, and he burned for a life ill spent. Potter had survived and Snape lost any hope that the boy would be embittered by his life. Unlike Severus Snape, the boy had indeed learned, that it was much easier to let go of hatred and live despite that bitter emotion. As he sat in the pits of fire and burned, he had to admit that the last bit burned even more than the eternal flame, Potter had indeed been the better man, and all of it, had been for naught.

_Potter has been the better man._

**A/N: I finished this one up after seeing how close I was to the end. I like to think this characterization of Snape was supremely fair to the character from canon, and allowing for extrapolation beyond the romantic musings of Rowling.**


	11. The Dance

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's not mine, so if you are a lawyer don't even bother.**

**A/N: This was sort of inspired by the meaning I draw from Garth Brooks' song "The Dance." If you haven't heard it before take some time and look it up it has a beautiful message.**

It hadn't exactly been the stuff of golden peace that Harry had hoped, but Bill and Fleur's wedding had been a happy albeit subdued affair. It clenched at him painfully, the fact that his world was upside down, and had been for what seemed to be his entire life. Less than a month ago he had been caught petrified and helpless on the Astronomy Tower as he watched Severus Snape kill his mentor in cold blood. Of course, things hadn't been exactly happy since then as he had to spend a week at the Dursleys, before finally receiving notification that Dumbledore had written a will and he was a primary beneficiary. Harry thought of it as his final reprieve from the Dursleys at the hands of Albus Dumbledore, and something in his heart told him that the old man knew it was all going to happen this way.

He had met Hermione and Ron at Grimmauld Place and there was an indefinable tension in the house even after their safety had been guaranteed when Harry, at Hermione's instruction, had cast the _Fidelius_ and chosen to act as the house's secret keeper. Most of the tension in the house had been coming from Hermione and was aimed towards the two boys. It was almost as if she was fighting herself, and the two boys just so happened to be her primary issues of debate.

It had been a week from the wedding and two weeks into the horcrux hunt when Harry found Hermione and Ron in what amounted to a knock down pull out the stops brawl that left Ron with a flaming red handprint on his face, Hermione bawling her eyes out as she ran up the stairs in Grimmauld, and Harry with one less houseguest as he took Hermione's side and asked Ron to leave until after the wedding and feelings could settle. He had no idea why Ron had given him such a filthy look when asked, but in hindsight he realized it really didn't matter. Ron hadn't been doing much in the two weeks he had been there aside from itching to start a fight with Hermione, and avoiding Harry at all costs.

The one problem after Ron's departure, aside from finding and destroying Voldemort's soul, had been this horrid awkwardness with Hermione. In a way he found it worse than the terse intensity they had shared during the previous year. Hermione's constant way of showing she had cared had been one of the things he relied upon Harry had realized in hindsight, and he had no idea how to articulate this to her. That he had Hermione's unconditional support and she had his protection and friendship, had been the best thing about his life and now it was gone, gone to where everything other good thing in his life went.

"Harry, what are you thinking about?" Hermione broke into his depressing musings as she glanced out at the dance floor somewhat longingly before giving him her full attention.

Swirling his glass of sparkling grape juice Harry sighed, "Just thinking about how so many things changed this past year, and how most of them were for the worst."

Hermione smiled sympathetically and said, "But there were some good things, weren't there?"

Harry shrugged, "If you'd asked me that a week ago I would have said yes, I mean my time with Ginny was amazing, but on the other hand it was like I was living someone else's life. Actually, that was kind of how the whole year was. I felt like I became a stranger, you became a stranger, and Ron became….well 'Won Won The Amazing Wizard Plunger Boy'."

Hermione giggled before she sighed heavily. Harry frowned and asked, "I know I've kind of let you be these last couple of weeks, but what was that row between you and Ron about?"

Hermione's eyes wandered back over the dance floor before she said, "Come on, I'll tell you if you dance with me."

Harry pulled at his collar for a moment, in an subconsciously nervous movement, before he agreed with a nod and took Hermione's hand before he led her onto the floor. Placing his hands on her waist they began to sway to the melody of the song before she looked up into his eyes and said, "What you saw was me correcting a mistake and Ron realizing that he wasn't his mother's puppet."

Harry glanced around nervously, expecting Molly to pop out of the nearest shadow and hug them into submission, before he shook his silly thoughts from his mind and asked, "So you and Ron giving it a go was a mistake?"

Hermione nodded as she moved closer to Harry and said, "We _went out_ for two weeks Harry, and we didn't kiss once because it was so awkward and horrid. I mean everyone always told us we had this tension between us, so I figured we would have some kind of passion and chemistry between us. But, compared to Ron and Lavender there was nothing there for either of us, at least not really in any of the ways that really mattered."

Harry nodded as he pulled her slightly closer, in another subconscious move as he asked, "So there was no passion at all? I mean there was some between you and Krum, right?"

Hermione sighed as she leaned back to look into Harry's eyes, in the process her lower body coming into contact with Harry's and looking into his green eyes before she said, "Contrary to what you've heard, Viktor and I never snogged. He might have wanted to, but it just wasn't the right time or place to start something for either of us."

Looking back down Hermione leaned her head against Harry's chest as they continued to sway to the tune, which had become an upbeat Irish jig of some sort. While the others were reveling in the throes of an alcohol induced buzz as they did an energetic dance, Harry and Hermione stayed on the fringe of the party content to continue as they were.

Harry's chin was now perched atop Hermione's head as he scanned the dance floor to see Ron and Gabrielle Delacoer somehow managing to dance, which was amazing because Ron appeared to have some success in failing to succumb to the younger girl's Veela heritage. Ginny was dancing, although grinding would be putting it accurately, with a dragon herder friend of Charlie's and Harry realized with a start that he much preferred the sweet warmth of Hermione to Ginny's fiery passion.

Hermione murmured into his chest, "I'm sorry for how I acted last year Harry."

A week ago, Harry might have come back with something snarky or sarcastic, but now he merely replied, "I reckon I'm sorry for how I treated you too. But, not just for last year. I've been thinking that Ron and I have taken you for granted for as long as we've been friends. I mean, I should know by now to trust that you have my best interests at heart, but I just couldn't see past that book for long enough to even listen to you. At least, until I used that spell on Malfoy, then I guess I knew that you were right."

Hermione was silent for a long time; it felt as though she was trying to lose herself in his embrace. Steeling herself she shook her head, the shiny ringlets of hair atop her head swaying gracefully as she said with a faint smile on her face and a sad smile in her eyes, "Maybe, but I should know by now to trust your instincts."

The song shifted again to a couple's dance, but Harry and Hermione kept swaying to that same silent melody as Harry tensed slightly before he mumbled, "I was wrong about Sirius."

Feeling a jolt or perhaps it was a stab of guilt Hermione realized that she had pulled away from Harry during a year that he needed her support more than ever. Harry had been rather standoffish about Sirius' death and the events at the ministry at the end of their fifth year, but she never thought he held the kind of pain that was currently projecting from his eyes.

She knew there was something she should say that would be the typical Hermione answer, but she realized now that they had changed as people for better or for worse in their year long estrangement and this was their chance at a new start. "With Sirius, you weren't going on instinct Harry; you were following your heart. I know that someone telling you that it was Voldemort's fault won't help you any Harry. But, how is Sirius coming after you any different than you going after him either in our third year or our fifth year. I mean we did it that night when we saved both him and Buckbeak. Do you think he would have felt guilty the rest of his life because you made a choice?"

Harry shrugged, "He felt guilty about my mum and dad dying because he switched secret keepers."

Hermione nodded, "You're right Harry he did feel guilty, but I don't think he actually thought he outright killed them and felt he was responsible for their deaths. He blamed Wormtail and Voldemort for that, didn't he? There's a difference between responsibility and guilt Harry. You weren't responsible for Sirius' actions, but feeling guilty and sad about his death is perfectly understandable."

Harry's eyes sparkled with grief and sadness for a moment before he buried his head in Hermione's hair and let one painful sob loose before he pulled away, red eyed but looking more peaceful than he had in a very long time.

Something easily as painful rose in his eyes and instead of breaking down as he had done a moment earlier, one solitary tear escaped his eye and trailed down his cheek as he said, "I though you died."

Hermione sucked in a deep breath as her mind ran wild with the implications and emotion behind that single statement. Finally she said, "You're talking about after Dolohov hit me with that spell, aren't you?"

Harry mutely nodded and Hermione couldn't help but notice the foreign and wonderful emotion that was just waiting to be released from within him. She wondered if he even knew how often he wore his emotions on his sleeves, and if he knew why that was as likely as any other reason for why he failed Occlumency. Taking a chance she had almost taken back in her fifth year, when she wasn't nearly as wise about her own feelings, she stood on her tiptoes and gave Harry a light but loving kiss.

As she pulled away a gust of wind swept through the canopy covered area and a tendril of hair escaped from behind her ear. Harry lifted a shaking hand from her waist and tucked it behind her ear before he pulled her flush to his body and murmured into her ear, "Did I ever tell you that you're a really good dancer."

Hermione laughed feeling happier than she had ever felt before in her life. After a moment she squeezed Harry tightly to her as their music continued, but their dance had actually just begun.

**A/N: Something to tide some of you over until we get DH in July. I've long wondered why the events at the end of OOTP were ignored in HBP, and I guess the wedding seemed as good of a time to deal with them as any other.**

**I don't see Ron going for Hermione, because she is too cerebral and also doesn't fit his profile of beauty. I think we all saw Hermione going for Ron in HBP, but considering the only other inkling she might have shown of interest in him was a yelling match at the end of the Yule Ball I think we have to question why.**


	12. Stranger than Fiction

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, JKR does…the idea from the story was inspired by the movie "Stranger than Fiction" starring Will Ferrell….once again I do not take credit for it.**

'''''''''''''''''''''

Joanne Kathleen Rowling smiled to herself as she put the finishing touches on the penultimate chapter in the finale of her Harry Potter series of books.

"_I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."_ pg 749 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

As she printed out a hard copy of the chapter for her editor a familiar voice sounded out, "You do realize that you have to write a better finish than what you had planned. None of this nineteen years later rubbish like I saw scribbled on the margins of your notes."

Joanne shook her head fondly as she replied in a long suffering tone, "Harry, just because you survived Voldemort don't get a big head now and think you can dictate the story to me."

Harry sighed before he asked, "Can I ask you a question at least?"

Jo smiled, "Certainly Harry, after all it is your story."

"Why did you kill Remus and Tonks? I mean hasn't Remus suffered enough already?"

Jo rubbed at her eyes tiredly, "I know, and I would have spared Remus if I could have. But, when I saved Arthur during your fifth year I knew I had to take another father figure. Once Remus and Tonks became a couple the sheer beauty of parents dying so their child could live in a world free of tyranny was just too much to pass up. Don't for a moment think I wasn't bawling my eyes out when it happened."

Harry sighed, "So you've made another innocent child an orphan of this war. What next, are you going to have the child's godfather thrown into Azkaban?"

Jo grimaced before she answered, "You _are_ bitter Harry, and I would think you would be happy. You beat Voldemort and all of your best friends survived. Now you can get back together with Ginny, and enjoy your life. What more could you reasonably hope for?"

Harry's voice was sarcastic, "Ah yes another treat for me, my inexplicable sudden attraction to Ginny Weasley in sixth year. Merlin I bet, I only said maybe fifty words to her before my fifth year. Sure she went with the rest of us to the ministry, and I appreciated that more than you would know, but she will always be Ron's very attractive little sister."

Jo frowned, "What you have someone else picked out?"

There was a rustling as if Harry was running a hand through his thick and messy hair, "I don't know, it's not like you ever allowed me to enjoy genuine affection with a girl beyond lust. Merlin knows that with the way Ron is I never would have had a chance with Hermione unless I fought him….again."

Jo furrowed her brow, "Do you resent Ron because he has Hermione? I mean she's just like a sister to you, nothing more."

Harry snorted, "Oh sure, because I know exactly what it's like to have a sister, don't I?" After a moment of perturbed silence he continued, "Ron has a sister and he seems to have no problems with being an overprotective berk with Hermione either. Well, it seems to me that if anyone treats Hermione like a sister, it would have to be Ron."

Jo shook her head emphatically, Harry was merely a fictional character and she had no idea why this was riling her up so, "You are just going to have to deal with your lot Harry, it's far too late to change anything now."

Harry's voice was petulant now, "At any rate, some of my dreams have had Hermione acting anything but a sister. You know of my reaction to her at the Yule Ball, and yet you seem to think that my drooling didn't indicate any interest, but when Ron throws a hissy fit it means that they are fated to be."

Jo sighed, "It was merely a diversion Harry, that's all you and Hermione were ever supposed to be."

Harry chuckled bitterly, "Oh that's right, because the one person who stood by my side after my name came out of the goblet was merely a sister. Where was Ginny on that one?"

Jo winced, and Harry did have a good point, "She was growing up Harry, just like Ron had to do."

Harry sighed heavily, "You see that's the problem, I never needed to grow to make a connection with Hermione. Hell I had a better connection with Luna than I ever did with Ginny. Unless you count our lips being fused together as a connection, Ginny and I never really had more than the physical stuff."

Jo was starting to get angry now, "You know I could have had Voldemort kill you off, I had planned on it for a time after writing the fifth book."

There was a long pause before Harry quietly replied, "Maybe you should have, I mean after all of this I'm only going to be some trophy husband to Ginny and a trophy son- in-law to Molly."

Jo was starting to feel rather tired from the cycle of emotions Harry was taking her through, "Harry, why didn't you ever give me a sign that this was how you felt."

Harry's voice became somewhat sad, "I never thought I'd actually live, so what was the point of making long term plans. I mean how could I ever have hoped to succeed; you surely never gave me any lasting reason to think so. Sure I had Sirius, but you made him miserable in Grimmauld Place, which was probably as much a reason as any other that he ran off half cocked and half prepared to fight at the Department of Mysteries."

Jo sniffed, "Harry, I never knew. I mean you just sort of moved on after Sirius' death and never said anything."

Harry's voice was so weary that it was palpable, "I did say something, but no one was ever really listening the way I needed them to. Hermione at least tried, but then again after I told her the prophecy she was always a bit more distant. She helped Ron cheat for Quidditch, but hated me for having that blasted potions book. Why did she do that?"

Jo had now cycled on to guilt as she cleared her throat nervously, "Well, erm actually Harry that was because I had made you and Hermione far too close by the end of the fifth book. I needed some reason to distance to two of you."

Harry merely replied, "Because I deserve to be lonely and miserable, not Ron right?"

Jo frowned, "Where is all this anger for Ron coming from Harry?"

Harry sighed, "Ron is still my best mate, but he abandoned me twice and I will never forget that. Lest we forget he was named prefect when there was no reason to deny it to me. Don't give me the Voldemort rubbish; you'll start sounding entirely too much like Dumbledore, the crazy old coot."

Jo decided to offer a counter point, "I did name you Quidditch captain sixth year."

Harry agreed, "You did, but only after you basically kicked me out of Quidditch with the whole Umbridge business the previous year. Then even after I was made captain you had Hermione rigging the try outs to help Ron, and McLaggen nearly getting me killed. That's right you really did me a big favor there."

Jo nodded, "So you really are harboring a lot of bitterness. I had always assumed that was beneath you, especially considering how the Dursleys were."

Harry grunted, "You just never really let me have anything without me paying a steep price. I didn't get love; I got one wet kiss from Cho and a bunch of snogs from Ginny. Family, nope because Snape had to shove his slimy git face into my business and allowed Pettigrew to escape because of the time we wasted dealing with him. I mean I am the main character, aren't I?"

Jo snorted, "Rather egotistical, aren't you?"

Harry laughed, "It's not ego, and it's the truth Joanne. My name is sort of in the title of every single book, isn't it?

Jo tried a new tact and became agreeable, "I'll grant you that Harry, but you are my character so how could my interpretation of you be different than the reality?"

Harry wryly replied, "Been a teenage boy lately Jo?"

Jo frowned, "What?"

Harry shook his head, "I tell you what, go back and reread the entire series before you finish this story off. If by the end you honestly still believe that you gave me a fair shake then write the epilogue as you had it outlined in your notes. But, if you find yourself seeing my point of view, perhaps you can grant me one favor."

Jo slid her glasses down her nose as she closed her eyes and questioned aloud, "What favor would that be?"

"Put me with the girl you could most likely see me having a long and love filled marriage with. If it is still Ginny, then fine I can't fault you if you honestly think so. But, if you merely had me paired off with Ginny for some sort of sick matchmaking symmetry then please do me one favor, and don't."

Jo glanced up at the calendar, upon seeing she had the time to grant her beloved character's request she replied, "I can do that Harry."

Harry softly replied, "Then that's all I can ask for."

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Joanne did exactly that in the following days, and she was surprised how reading the books like this had reignited the passion she had felt for her characters, one time long ago. She was slightly disturbed at how all of Harry's observations had more than just a kernel of truth to them. She had favored certain characters during the journey when she consciously hadn't been aware of it; she had been lost in the forest when she should have been tending to trees.

Harry hadn't made an appearance in her mind's eye again, but she had a feeling he wouldn't need to when she finished her changes to the original epilogue. This time she had shortened the gap in time to thirteen years, but with similar circumstances surrounding the characters as many of them sent of their first born children to Hogwarts.

''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry and Hermione Granger-Potter were sending their son James Orion Potter to Hogwarts for his first year, and the train station was filled with press to document the big event. James or Jamey as he wished to be called, was nothing like you'd expect a child of the pair to be. He had auburn hair and the brown eyes of his mother, with facial features much more like his paternal grandmother than either of his parents. He was spared the necessity of eye glasses, but he still gave off a very bookish air as he boarded the train with a surprisingly advanced transfiguration treatise in his hand. Predictably Hermione was thrilled, and she even managed to poke her tongue at her husband and their mutual best friend as they teased her about her bookish traits overpowering Harry's Quidditch genes.

Hermione and Ron had just never really happened after dancing around the edges of a relationship, in the end it had worked out for the best. Their friendship had finally matured so that the arguments of the past became the gentle teasing they enjoyed now.

Ron and Luna Weasley were also sending their first born, the rare female Weasley perhaps finally breaking the family curse of mostly boys. Serena Weasley was a fine mixture of her parents with strawberry blonde hair and dreamy but surprisingly expressive blue eyes taking in her surroundings. She was friends with Jamey due to all of the time they had spent together as children, but the pair had never truly connected as much as their parents would have hoped.

Teddy Lupin ruffled Jamey's hair as the youngest Potter boarded the train, before he waved at his godparents with exuberance as his hair color vacillated wildly. Teddy being a third year student had announced his intentions at a family get together to take his 'cousin' under his wing and corrupt the poor lad to the best of his abilities.

As the children boarded the train and grabbed a nearby compartment so that they could wave goodbye to their parents, Neville and Ginny Longbottom bustled into the station, as if they were the modern day version of Arthur and Molly Weasley. Ginny still was slim and very attractive despite the two children she had birthed. Neville had continued on as the Herbology instructor and was slowly working up the seniority lists at Hogwarts. Ginny worked at home as an editor for Teen Witch Weekly, and she dragged her youngest child as quickly as the little seven year old legs could go.

Winston Longbottom was a very serious looking boy, with Auburn hair much like Jamey's. While he didn't share any of the Potter boy's love for learning he preferred to waste his energy expounding upon his favorite Quidditch team, Puddlemere United, to anyone and everyone who would listen.

With only a quick hug for his mother and a brisk handshake for his father he dragged his trunk towards the train, never sparing a glance backwards.

Harry commented lightly on the young boy's stoic disposition, "That boy takes himself far too seriously for an 11-year-old."

Ginny swatted at Harry as she answered, "Winston is a wonderful son, and he just might have a bit of Percy in him is all."

Neville chuckled and quirked an eyebrow at his wife, "Did you forget to tell me something Gin?"

Ginny huffed, "I most certainly did not you dirty minded man. Lest we forget we have some very young ears here, even if the rest of our friends are only having a child every decade or so." Turning towards Hermione and Luna she asked, "What about you two, any more plans on expanding the families?"

Ron grinned at Harry and said, "Notice how we have no say in the matter mate." Seeing Hermione's stern look he hedged his answer, "Nor should we, after all it's not our bodies carrying the sprog, now is it?" Luna didn't answer other than to pat her husband's cheek softly and give him a wink, which in and of itself was all of the answer he needed.

Hermione decided to answer, "Harry and I have discussed it and we did decide we would try for another one now that my baby is off to Hogwarts." She sniffed lightly but smiled back at her husband as he wrapped a strong arm around her and squeezed gently to signal his understanding.

Neville sighed as he glanced around the station, "Just imagine what kinds of adventures those three will be getting up to while they are at Hogwarts. Granted, I'll be there to keep them out of too much trouble but one man can only do so much."

As the train continued to board the six old friends enjoyed a companionable silence just taking in all of the familiar sights and sounds that had made such an indelible mark on their lives. They had indeed finished their educations, and all of them had successful careers. None of them would have guessed that they would end up together in their present configuration, but the six that would be forever bonded by a desperate effort to save a man from a fate worse than death no longer dwelled on what others thought of them.

They had survived the war, and then they had proceeded to live. As Hermione reached up and gently traced her husband's trademark lightning bolt scar Harry smiled, and his eyes conveyed everything to his wife, life was perfect.


	13. The Strings are Cut

**Disclaimer: It's JKR's world, and while it has taken me a few years, I've finally come to grips with her vision. But, I still reject details, and the following is an effort at one such perceived change.**

**A/N: Harry reacts differently during his talk with Dumbledore at the point of crossing over at the end of Deathly Hallows.**

''''''''''''''''''

"_Harry." He spread his arms wide and his hands were both whole and white and undamaged. "You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man. Let us walk."_

_~Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pg. 707 J.K.R._

Harry looked at Albus Dumbledore and it was if several unanswered questions and inconsistencies in his life clicked into place like a lock working properly for the first time.

He suddenly understood so much of his own life, the Dursleys, Snape, the prophecy all revolved around the choices the man before him had made. But, instead of irrational anger he felt a strange calm flow over his being, as if shackles that had long been in place had finally been shed.

Dumbledore looked at Harry expectantly, but the young wizard's calm expression seemed surprising based upon his own quizzical expression. Harry finally spoke with a serene expression on his face, "Do you feel lighter sir?"

Dumbledore pondered the statement for a moment before recognition filled his eyes, "In many ways I do Harry, but the weight of our actions in life do not fully scrub away upon death. Nothing is so final even in death."

Harry sighed but smiled in response, "Never without wisdom at your disposal, are you sir?"

Dumbledore looked sheepish as he replied, "If mere knowledge of wisdom makes one wise, then it is a highly overrated trait to possess."

Harry laughed as he gazed back at the shattered, pathetic looking being that represented Voldemort's soul, "So many of my choices seem to make a little more sense now that I'm sitting here. Death has a funny way of doing that though, I'd imagine. Having a cap to place context on my life allows me to see my mistakes in so much more clarity."

Dumbledore flourished his hand, "Nonsense, despite my efforts to give you the barest amount of information to complete your task, you performed admirably in terms of results if nothing else."

Turning to face Harry fully he continued, "You are not dead Harry, at least not fully. You still have a choice to make, whether you decide to be truly courageous and live now that you've broken Tom's hold on power, or join your parents in the afterlife, fulfilled, but with the question of what if lingering in your mind. As the master of death, the decision is ultimately yours."

Harry exhaled a deep breath, picturing the Weasleys, Hermione, little Teddy, and his other friends moving on without him and he felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he thought of that possible future. Thinking for a moment he asked, "Were you aware of the love potions Albus?"

Dumbledore frowned, his brow furrowing as he replied, "I suspected as much, but never had a chance to verify. I would hazard a guess that Molly's hand was firmly involved in the single application during the summer before your sixth year, a dose to both yourself and Ms. Granger if my guess is correct."

Harry nodded once, the time was long past for recriminations, now it was merely time to fix the mistakes of the past. Smiling again he pumped the hand of his mentor, and puppet master, feeling no ill will to the other wizard, "May you find the peace in death you deserve Albus."

Dumbledore smiled and with a twinkle in his eye he rejoined, "And may you find happiness and prosperity in your life Harry."

Harry nodded once and closed his eyes, willing his consciousness back into his body as only the true master of death was capable.

Harry opened his eyes minutely and could tell he was in Hagrid's arms, no doubt being carried as a prize to Voldemort's ego.

As Hagrid sat him gently to the ground Harry could feel the siren's call of power resting in the elder wand, calling for its true master. Harry knew then, that Voldemort's end was near, and now he merely hoped for the end of the death going on around the battlefield.

Narcissa Malfoy was suddenly in his face, hissing questions which Harry ignored, he remembered Hermione's screams at Malfoy Manor, and decided he owed the woman no favors.

As the woman left, apparently satisfied he was dead based upon his lack of response he slowly rose, to the astonishment of those present, even Voldemort gaped for a second before rage filled his expression, "Potter, why won't you just die like your mudblood mother did?"

Harry merely shook his head, vaguely he heard Mrs. Weasley shout something but he turned his full attention to Voldemort and merely said, "No."

Voldemort hissed in rage, "Defiant to the end Potter, such an annoying trait."

Harry held his hand out, mentally calling for the elder wand as its true master, the wand responded in spectacular fashion, shooting off sparks as is shot across the clearing between the two wizards.

Harry didn't incant a spell, instead he merely wished for Voldemort's soul to pass on, as it should have years earlier. The magical construct of the Dark Lord's body appeared to implode without a shred of soul or magic to hold it together, the only real possible cause could be seen in Harry's pointed wand, which glowed with power.

Harry closed his eyes for a beat before he was tackled to the ground by Hermione, who sobbed into his shoulder, mumbling about thinking he had been dead. Free of the mental fog of the love potion he merely enjoyed the warm hug of his female best friend. Reaching out with his magic, he snipped away the same artificial emotional connections in Hermione's mind and magic, and he was surprised at the brief peck on the lips he received a moment later.

The blush on Hermione's cheeks indicated more than sisterly affection in the kiss, and while he pondered briefly on the merits pf exploring that affection immediately, ultimately he decided other more immediate concerns required his attention more.

The mess of the battlefield seemed to involve an influx and efflux of various officials of the repatriated Ministry of Magic, seemingly when the head of the beast had been cut off with Voldemort being destroyed, his followers had once again scattered into the wind.

So many good people were dead now, the Weasleys mourned their losses like everyone else, and the mourning period prevented any scenes about the brief kiss Harry and Hermione had shared following his victory.

''''''''''''''''''''''''

Time passed quickly in the post-Voldemort world for Harry as contrary to popular desire he disappeared into the muggle world, coming to grips with his new outlook on life, outside of the spotlight, with ample time to ease into his new thing with Hermione as she restored her parent's memories

The Weasleys had been very understanding about nearly everything, the unspoken understanding about the love potions went unspoken as everyone sorted through the grief in the aftermath of another devastating war. The policies of the puppet regime and Delores Umbridge could still be felt as the muggleborns that had survived the labor camps were quietly leaving Britain for more tolerant places.

In short, Magical Britain was a hair's breadth from total collapse, and without a titular figurehead like Harry to rally support, the Ministry had devolved into a chorus of a hundred different voices, all expecting different things and accomplishing nothing.

Harry on the other hand felt none of these concerns as he lazed about on the couch of Hermione's parents place in Australia with his girlfriend as she read a book and he napped. A distant ringing could be heard as Harry lazily opened his eyes and murmured, "Whazzat?"

Hermione smirked as she turned a page sedately, "Mum and dad ordered in some food tonight and rented some movies, sort of a quiet night in I think." Canting her head she added, "Not that we've been the height of activity today or anything."

Harry blinked his eyes owlishly, his new contacts still felt strange in his eyes, and while he hadn't fallen fully asleep on the couch, his drooping eyes had shifted the lenses about enough to make him uncomfortable. "Well, next time I try a ruddy mad idea like a triathlon talk me out of it."

Hermione stroked his chest lightly, a comfortable gesture, although her fingertips lingered longer now then when they had merely been friends. While she hadn't shown it outwardly, she harbored some serious anger for a certain red haired matron. In her mind everything during the horcrux year would have been so much easier if they hadn't needed to deal with messed up emotions.

Feeling a little randy she leaned over Harry, covering his face with a curtain of hair before she dove down and claimed his lips in a smoldering kiss. It still surprised her how effortless, and frankly amazing the physical aspects of their relationship were. She had harbored doubts even in the haze of her love potion fueled thoughts of Ron of how it could work between them.

Of course, with Harry that modesty had never been there, and she found herself much more open both emotionally and physically than she had ever thought possible. Without breaking the kiss she settled her hips over Harry's and ground down once on his obvious arousal. Harry groaned and she smirked into his lips before her tongue found his and they tangled.

Finally she broke the kiss and whispered into his ear, "My mum and dad won't be back from work for another couple of hours, lets go up to our room and play."

Harry grunted and swung her up into his arms, taking the steps two at a time, his previously sore muscles didn't seem to ache any longer. Stumbling into their shared room their clothes were pealed away, with Hermione still in her bra and panties as Harry was down to his boxers. Without breaking the kiss Hermione reached down and grasped Harry in her hand as he massaged her lace covered breasts before undoing the clasp in front.

Hermione stroked him a few more times before she murmured, "I need you, Harry."

Harry slid her panties down gently and flipped her over underneath him, Hermione repaid him as she slid his boxers down and over his buttocks, giving them a quick squeeze as he hands traveled down his back and legs. Opening her legs she grasped him again and slid him between her welcoming folds, feeling that same rush as she always did when Harry was inside of her. She was blissfully happy, and as Harry began to slid into and out of her she moaned his name and lost herself in the experience.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Harry gazed at the freshly repaired and constituted Hogwarts express with a sense of nostalgia, his head boy badge was pinned on his chest and to his right Hermione's head girl badge was likewise pinned. Due to a desire to make a real positive difference in the magical world on his own merits, free from the inanity of prophecy both Harry and Hermione had bucked the popular trend of their year mates and elected to return for their final year of classes, after their long deserved break in Australia.

Most of the others had opted for a start to careers, re-staffing the gutted out Ministry of Magic, interim minister Kingsley Shacklebolt was making it a point to clear away all of the old influence in an attempt to effect real change.

Hermione broke her hold on Harry's hand to crouch down and talk to a first year student, a muggleborns based upon the clothing she wore. The little girl looked frightened, and while the atrocities committed against the muggleborns during Pius Thickness's reign had led to many deaths and even more emigrations, a new feeling of acceptance beyond mere tolerance was slowly filtering through wizarding society.

Softly she asked the young girl, "Do you need some help with your trunk?"

The little girl answered shyly, "No, I just wanted to thank you and Mr. Potter."

Hermione smiled softly but asked, "Thank us for what?"

The little girl replied more confidently, "For making the bad people go away. Professor McGonagall told us, that it was the two of you that made the difference, and made it so people like me could come to Hogwarts."

Hermione glanced up to Harry who was smiling benignly before she turned back to the little girl and touched the tip of her nose gently, "You have just as much right as anyone else to be here, and if anyone ever tells you differently, you come and tell Harry or me."

The little girl smiled widely with a pair of cute dimples appearing before she ducked her head and blushed before scurrying onto the train.

Harry helped Hermione back to her feet, hugging her to him with an arm wrapped around her waist before he kissed her head and said, "Let's go change the world."

Hermione smiled and response before taking his hand and leading Harry on to the train, they were off to the start of another adventure, but this time they did so with open eyes.

**A/N: **Just watched HBP and I have to admit they did a nice job with it, although the Hermione and Ron bits while amusing still baffle me even now. Looking just as personalities, Hermione and Ron aren't even opposites, that would suggest they have the same sorts of desires, concerns, and goals although with different expectations. No, the romance of HP will forever be a disappointment to me, and this is yet another take on improving things from my perspective.


End file.
